Naruto's Legacy
by Naruxsakuluver
Summary: Sequel to Naruto: Boarding School Style! Naruto and the band, upon request from Minato, return to school so Naruto can run the business. But his love for his music pulls him in a totally different direction than the business lifestyle his father has planned for him. Will he choose his music... or his father's approval? Narusaku AU
1. Chapter 1

**FINALLY! THE SEQUEL I PROMISED IS HERE! I wanted to get nearly done with my other story before I tried to write this one in case they both accidentally turned to crap. SO BEHOLD! MY SEQUEL!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Black and orange checkered sneaker clad feet ran on the linoleum floors of the white walled hallways. The spikey haired blonde who those feet belonged to gasped as he turned the corner, clumsily tripping over his own legs. He fell and slid a few inches, jumping back up and running a little further. His lungs ached, not having stopped moving since he got the call. He had even run in place as he listened to the receptionist in the front hall tell him which room he was running to. He rounded another corner with record speed and darted to the door he wanted. He slid inside.

"Dad!" he shouted upon seeing the older Namikaze man sitting up in the hospital bed. He was pale and had dark shadows under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. The Tv was on but the volume was so low that he doubted his dad was even watching it.

Minato turned to him, smiling. "Naru-chan. What are you doing here?"

Naruto came over to the bed, kneeling down next to it. He took his dad's hand that held the remote in his and squeezed it. "The hospital called me. They told me you had an accident. Are you alright, dad? Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

Minato waved him off with his free hand. "It was no big deal."

"You passed out during a class. That's sort of a big deal."

His dad sighed. "I've just been tired recently, Naru-chan. Don't worry about Daddy. How has your tour been?"

Naruto smiled softly. "Okay. We just sold out for the next two weeks. We're doing pretty good for ourselves."

"Good." Minato squeezed his hand. "Because I think it's time for you to come home."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

Minato let his hand go and sat up. "Your tour is almost over, Naru-chan. You realized your little dream of becoming a rockstar. You've done it. But you're still my son and the heir to the Namikaze fortune. You know how serious Jiraiya and Tsunade are about that. It's time you came back and took on your responsibilities."

Naruto gaped. "B-But dad!"

"No buts, Naruto. I can't do this alone anymore. Teaching and running the business is taking it's toll on me. Jiraiya tries to help but..."

"So stop teaching!" Naruto shouted at his dad, suddenly angry. He stood up, crossing his arms.

"Naru-chan! You know I can't do that. Teaching's the one thing I've always wanted to do."

"And music is mine, Tou-san!" Naruto protested. "Why do I have to give up my dream when you can't give up yours!?"

Minato sighed. "Because you only signed for a year, Naruto. Your contract is about to be up anyway. Your tour is nearly over. I'm only telling you now so that you don't do something stupid like renew your contract."

"Stupid!?"

"Calm down, Naru-chan."

"No! You can't make me give up on my dream! I refuse!"

Again, his father sighed. "I didn't want to have to tell you this but... sit down Naru-chan. It's important."

* * *

By the end of their talk, Naruto was on the phone in the hallway with his other band members. Currently, Sasuke was the one closest to the phone on speaker.

"What the hell do you mean!?" he shouted.

Naruto swallowed, head resting against the cool wall of the hallway. "I'm done after the end of this tour. I've had enough."

"Of fame and hot girls screaming your name after every show!?" Kiba chimed in.

"Yeah, pretty much. I..." he swallowed, feeling choked up. "I um, I just miss school and everything. And really, we were only supposed to be gone a year. I promised Sakura-chan."

"So you're just gonna leave us?" Kiba again.

"Yeah... I mean, you guys can keep up the band. You can hire a new lead singer. But I can't do it anymore. I quit."

Shikamaru was the next to speak. "Wait, so let me get this straight... You go back to Konoha without even a goodbye... and now you're quitting the band to stay there?"

Naruto's chest ached. "I'll come back to finish the tour, guys. Just like the contract says-"

"Fuck the contract!" Sasuke bellowed. "We don't care about that! You're quitting our band, jackass! The band _you _started!"

He was so close to telling them the real reason he was giving up his dream. But he couldn't, he'd given his word to his dad. "I'm sorry, guys. You can sign a new contract without me-"

"Fuck that," Shika muttered. He sounded annoyed. "We wouldn't do that without you. Everything was because of you anyway. We wouldn't renew the contract if you weren't a part of the band anymore."

"So what are you guys gonna do?"

There was a pause on the other line. Naruto pressed the phone closer to his ear, afraid he just couldn't hear them speaking so low. "We're going back to school, too. Like you said, it was only supposed to be for a year. It's about time we got our education," Kiba answered sounding sincere.

Naruto nearly broke down into tears right then and there. With the emotional strain he was going through, it was a miracle he hadn't dropped to his knees and cried anyway. "Thanks guys," he managed to choke out.

* * *

**A/N FINALLY! IT IS HERE! Yes, it's short. But it's supposed to be. **

**I wonder what Minato told Naruto to make him change his mind...?**


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

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**Chapter Two**

Naruto came back into the his father's room with two milkshakes for the two of them. Minato's favorite was vanilla and Naruto's was chocolate. He'd bypassed the whole "get the houseworkers to do it" thing and just made the beverages himself using the shake maker in the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess now, but at least he didn't feel snobbish.

Minato was released from the hospital three days after Bowling for Ramen returned to Konoha. They hadn't been back to school yet since Naruto wanted Minato to be comfortable back at home for a while. He was on bed rest for a week, and then he could return to work and be annoying again.

Minato sat in bed, looking much healthier now that he was back at home. He didn't have any bags beneath his eyes or any real signs that he was feeling ill. His eyes were their usual bright blue and he actually looked normal. Naruto breathed out in relief, but otherwise didn't show any other signs that he'd taken notice of his father's appearance. He sat down on the bed beside Minato, sitting cross legged as his dad drank his milkshake.

Minato's face curled up. "Naru-chan, this milkshake is chunky," he complained. "Who made this?"

Naruto could feel his cheeks light up like reddened tomatoes. "I made it. Don't you like it?"

"No."

"Tou-san!"

"It's gross, Naru-chan. No milkshake should be chunky in some places and watery in others."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Then don't drink it!"

"I won't." And with that, Minato set the milkshake down on his nightstand with a resounding _thud_.

Naruto rolled his eyes at him, but didn't move to grab his own milkshake. He left it where it was in case it really _was_ terrible. But to keep his dad from noticing that he wasn't drinking it, he decided to start a new conversation. "I go back to school today. Tsunade's already put me back into the system. Until you're better, Ero-sennin is listed as my temporary guardian."

Minato nodded. "Are you excited?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Not entirely. I mean, it won't be my first year there. I'll be a junior and-"

"My little Naru-chan, a junior! You grow up so fast..."

Naruto rolled his eyes but continued as if his dad never said anything. "It's just no big deal, dad."

Minato sniffled and wiped at the tears that were beginning to flow from his eyes. Naruto rolled his own eyes yet again. He'd forgotten how blissful it was to not be around his dad's emotions while he was on tour.

The older blonde man seemed to get himself under control. "So um," he wiped at his nose as a tiny driplet of snot threatened to slip down, "How did the band take it that you were quitting?"

Naruto rubbed his forearm. He hadn't exactly told his dad that he hadn't stopped making music completely. He didn't want to give up on his dream, it would kill him. But he didn't want to disappoint his dad and make him believe that he wasn't taking any of this seriously enough. A little lie wouldn't hurt him, right? "They took it... pretty well," he lied shamefully.

Minato nodded. "That's good. I'd hate for them to be angry with you, Naru-chan. I know how much your little friends mean to you."

Naruto let his chin fall to his chest in shame. "...Yeah..."

* * *

Naruto stood in front of Konoha about two hours later, the school day already about halfway through. Despite what he said to his dad, he was nervous. He hadn't been to school in a _year_. What if his old friends didn't remember him? What if they changed? What if _he'd _changed? He'd only been around the band in the last year, he had no idea how fame had really affected him. He could be a total jackass now and not even realize it!

He bit his lip, wondering if this was worth it. Yes, he was doing this for his dad but... It was like standing outside of elementary on his first day of first grade again. He didn't know anybody and nobody knew him, and he could have held onto his mother's hand all day if she let him. He smiled slightly at the memory of her, but still didn't make a gesture to go up to the doors, even as his mind replayed the words she'd said to him to give him the confidence to step forward.

"Naruto… you're going to be great. Remember who you are. I believe in you."

Naruto almost jumped at the words, thinking at first that his mother was really behind him saying all those things. It was almost a carbon copy of what he remembered, with the words replaced and shifted here and there. But the voice was, unfortunately, too deep to be his mom's, and he turned to see who it really was. His blood boiled.

"What are you doing here?" he seethed.

"Seeing you off on your first day back," Jiraiya answered, grinning his sly grin at the younger boy. Well, he was more of a man now. He'd seen the world already when even some adults twice his age could never say they'd done so. He was experienced in more ways than one, and it showed in the way that he now held his shoulders and chin up, staring into the eye of anyone he encountered rather than staying in the shadows like a child. He had conversations and put himself out there. He was growing up, which was why Jiraiya felt that it was finally time that Naruto learned his father's trade, especially with Minato's condition.

Naruto grit his teeth and pretended that Jiraiya never answered his first question. "You betrayed me."

The older man looked confused. "How did I do that?"

The blonde's fists clenched and unclenched tightly at his sides, the whites of his knuckles and the blues of his veins on display. "How could you convince my father that I should quit the band!? You never even discussed it with me, you just smiled in my face every day while you were going behind my back!"

"Look, kid..."

Naruto shook his head. "I used to think you were cool, Ero-sennin. But now..." He turned his back on his Godfather, heading up the stairs with a new confidence that he didn't have before. He just wanted to get away from the man that had helped to kill his dreams.

"Naruto. Naruto! Kid, it wasn't even my idea! Naruto!" He heard Jiraiya call behind him. But he just kept walking. He didn't want to hear any of it.

* * *

Naruto sat in the old practice room strumming the guitar Sasuke got him for a random gift when the tour was getting started. He'd said that it would be a good idea for him to get started with learning in case Kiba or him got sick or something and they needed somebody to take over their part. It wasn't anything too serious, and Naruto never had to use it, but he found solace in running the pick over the strings and feeling the vibrations rumble through him. He hardly noticed it when he began to sing.

_"The weekend's finally here_  
_ And it's me and my bestest friends_  
_ Hit the town, put the week behind us_  
_ Rocking the same spots again and again_  
_ Feels like nothing will ever stop us_  
_ No rain or sleet or snow_  
_ Tonight there's not a cloud in the sky _  
_ While we cool outside on the stereo_

_ We're always on a mission to finally get it right_  
_ The life of the party comes in bottles, cans, and pints_  
_ We talk about it, sing about it, sneak it onto planes_  
_ And every single week someone says the same thing_

_ This has been a great night_  
_ No one got into a fight_  
_ Met some girls, saw a band_  
_ Everything went just as planned_  
_ The only thing that we forgot_  
_ Was stocking up by 12 o'clock_  
_ We'll never persevere _  
_ We've got friends, chicks, guitars, and no beer_

_ We've been in this band _  
_ Longer than most of our fans have been_  
_ We get started up about 6 O'clock_  
_ And we go until most of us just can't stand_  
_ And it never ceases to amaze me_  
_ Just when things start to get good_  
_ Is this record on repeat right now?_  
_ Whoever hit the store must have misundersto-"_

"N-Naruto-kun?" A voice called from the hall.

Naruto jumped and stopped strumming. Instantly, the feeling of peace he'd had while making music drained from his entire being. All of a sudden he was reminded of how upset he was with everything. He looked towards the door, frowning slightly when he saw who it was at the door.

"Hinata-chan?"

The timid, shy girl stepped awkwardly into the room. She wasn't dressed in her uniform but was wearing a black and white striped T shirt that hung off her shoulders loosely but hugged every other inch of her torso just right. _Every other inch_. Her legs were clad in a pair of black tights that accentuated the length of her legs and the curve of her bottom, which Naruto could swear wasn't that round when he last saw her. Did Hinata actually have _curves?_ He remembered her not being as slim as maybe Ino or Sakura, but he'd never known her to be shapely.

"W-When did you get back? Is Kiba-kun here?" she asked him softly. With a little trepidation, she walked fully into the room and sat down in the chair beside him, their shoulders almost touching. Nothing about the distance was particularly strange. Naruto always felt that he and the raven haired girl were close to one another. They had been friends ever since they first met in grade school.

* * *

**[Flashback]**

_Naruto sat on a little makeshift swing hanging from a tree that some kid had made before Naruto even existed, he thought. It wasn't a very good swing. It was made out of a single plank of wood and some type of tough yarn or something. He wasn't sure. But it hurt when he sat on it for too long and more often than not, he found himself falling off of it. It was pitiful, honestly. But it was the only swing that the other kids let him near. No one allowed him to set foot on the playground._

_He sniffed and wiped at his eyes as fresh tears fell down his cheeks at the reminder of how cruel the other kids were to him. They were hot and shameful against his face, and he knew that if his dad saw them, he'd be disappointed. Namikaze were strong. They kept their chins up. They didn't allow bullies and mean kids to make them sit on hard makeshift benches and cry. But right then, Naruto would gladly say that he was an Uzumaki, like his mom. Uzumaki were kind and soft and compassionate. Uzumaki cried, because he sometimes saw his mom cry. So he'd be an Uzumaki for now._

_"N-Namikaze-san?" A small voice called out to him from his left. Naruto jumped from the swing and rubbed furiously at his cheeks until the sting suggested that they were very red and scratchy. He pulled his fists away from his face to see who had called him and almost gasped at who it was._

_"Hinata-san?" he breathed in awe. And then that awe turned into fear. The Hyuga were some of his worst tormentors. One look at him with their steely grey eyes was enough to make Naruto quiver in fear of the pain that may ensue. One of the worst of his tormentors were Neji, Hinata's first cousin who was a year older than the both of them. Whenever he saw the younger Namikaze, he would always sneer and make it a point to humiliate him in front of everyone while he taunted, '_Not so tough are you, Namikaze-san?' _Today, he'd twisted his arm until he fell onto the sand on the playground and kicked the grains into his face until he retreated to the swing he was just sitting on, away from them. "I-Is this your swing, Hinata-san? I'm sorry! Here, you can have it, I'm done!" he proclaimed, ready to apologize profusely in case the Hyuga heir decided to turn out to be twice as cruel as her older cousin. After all, she was from the family's man branch. That had to mean something._

_The little girl shook her little six year old head. "N-No, Namikaze-san, it's not my swing. But... But why are you crying?" she questioned him. Naruto watched her gaze fall to his arm. "W-What happened to your arm?"_

_Naruto bowed his head in shame. "Neji," he muttered, a pink blush forming on his cheeks at having to admit to a girl that he had gotten beaten up._

_Naruto watched as Hinata's expression went from timid, to shocked, to determined in a matter of two seconds. "I-I'm going to t-talk to h-him," she stammered, but Naruto could tell from the look in her eyes that she was far from sure if she wanted to approach the older boy. She looked like she feared that she was going to be beaten up, too. And Naruto couldn't allow that to happen to her on his behalf. _

_"Hinata-chan, wait-!" Naruto interrupted her, grabbing her sleeve._

_Hinata looked at the hand grabbing her, then at the boy that had just used the unfamiliar honorific on her. She felt her cheeks grow hot in a way they never had before, despite having a permanent blush on her face regardless. "Yes, Namikaze-san?"_

_"D-Don't," Naruto pleaded. "I don't want you to get involved in my troubles. I'll find a way to deal with him myself, without you. Okay?"_

_She hesitated. "Okay, Namikaze-san. If you say so..." She sounded unsure._

_"And Hinata-chan?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"C-Call me Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki."_

* * *

**[Present]**

Naruto smiled, knowing Hinata had been the very first person to call him by the name he chose, rather than the cursed name he was given, even if she did forget what his real name was over the years. And it had helped that she did. After she started calling him Uzumaki, the other kids caught on and everyone seemed to forget that he had once been the privileged Namikaze heir. The jealousy and need to tease him vanished. For every friend that Naruto made, he owed it to Hinata for helping him do it.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata squeaked.

Naruto shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Yes?"

"Kiba-kun," she repeated slower. "Is he here as well?"

Naruto chuckled sheepishly and stood up. He head to his guitar case and set his instrument inside, figuring he had better show up at some point for class or else Tsunade would come looking for him. And it was never good for her to come looking for him.

"Yeah, he's here. Come on, I'll help you find him," he offered, slinging the guitar over his back and putting an arm around Hinata's shoulders as they walked out of the room together.

* * *

**A/N Thanks to: Pokemonmaster5769, roselie0601, Minato 0077, and kidloco for reviewing last chapter. Reviews make me update faster :]**

**I don't have much to say other than... Comments, questions, concerns? REVIEW!**

**Also, constructive criticism is welcome :)**


	3. Chapter 3

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

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**Chapter Three**

They found the Inuzuka easily enough, since it was his scheduled lunch and he was in the cafeteria with the rest of their friends. Naruto led Hinata up to the doors, arm still around her shoulders, and peeked in himself. And that's when he saw her.

Like Hinata, she wasn't wearing her school uniform. For some reason, the entire school had abandoned the formal attire the school forced them to wear and everyone was clad in casual dress. She'd abandoned her skirt for hip hugging jeans that hung slightly off her waist, giving ample view of the skin of her back whenever she leaned forward in the conversation. Her button up shirt and tie were traded in for fading emerald green T shirt that seemed to accentuate the fact that she had curves, rather than hide it. And she had headphones around her neck. _Headphones_. Since when did Konoha Academy allow the students to wear headphones in broad daylight during school hours? What had chaged? Had Tsunade died?

Hinata seemed to follow his gaze to the pinkette that had stolen his attention, even from across the room.

"She convinced Tsunade-sama to allow for casual Wednesdays and Fridays to boost student morale. As you can see, she succeeded. You know, Sakura-chan is vice president of the school, now," the young heiress revealed to him with a gentle smile.

Naruto turned to her, surprised. "No way."

Hinata nodded. "Way."

Naruto swallowed, turning again to the rosette who still didn't seem to notice him standing there watching her. He couldn't believe it. His Sakura-chan was vice president? Of the whole school? She was only second to the president and Tsunade when it came to decisions regarding the student body! Wow, he was so proud of her.

"Sakura-chan..." he breathed, smilin in her direction.

Hinata giglgled. "You know, we can always go over there and say hi," she hinted at the Uzumaki, or, as everyone knew him now, the Namikaze.

Naruto froze, suddenly feeling panicked. He couldn't go over there and talk to her now! Sakura... she wasn't the same girl that he left here a year ago. She'd matured and she was doing cool stuff and she probably had way better stuff to worry about than the rockstar knucklehead that she dated last year. He... He couldn't see her.

He scratched the back of his head, already turning to walk the other way back out the cafeteria doors. "Actually, Hinata, I can't. Um, I have to go talk to Tsunade-baa-chan about some things so... maybe we can all catch up later?" He didn't een wait for her reply. He simply waved and left in a flash of yellow.

Hinata stared after him curiously. Strange. "U-Um okay, Naruto-kun."

She watched him leave before making her way over to her group of friends who were all seated around one of the round tables at the cafeteria. Last year with the combination of the boys, the teens had occupied one of the longer rectangular tables, but once the band left to go on tour, there were just enough of them to fill the circular ones. Unfortunately with the boys back, the table was a little packed. Sakura looked the most comfortable seated by herself, but Ino looked uncomfortable sitting in Shikamaru's lap to her righ and fidgeted every other interval of five seconds, which caused a growing blush to make its way across the Nara's facial features. Next to them was Kiba who was trying desperately to hide his canine companion inside his band T shirt and failing, elbowing the hell out of a gradually angrying Sasuke. Neji and Tenten were scotted close together and whispering things into one another's ears that made the other blush bright red, and finally there was a free seat to Sakura's left... which she stole for herself.

"H-Hello," she greeted everyone, debating with herself whether or not to meet the eyes of the Inuzuka seated across from her at the table. She didn't know what to expect from him now that he was back. Kiba was a drummer in a famous band that spent the past year touring around the world. He had girls shouting his name and wearing T shirts with his face on it almost everywhere. Even now she spotted a couple of her fellow classmates eyeing the dog lover with lecherous gazes. Kiba was a celebrity and he probably knew it very well. Woul he still want to settle for a quiet, stuttering, plain girl like her?

"Was that Naruto that I just saw?" Sakura asked her friend, snapping the raven haired girl out of her thoughts. Hinata's head snapped up, staring at the pinkette until she registered what she'd been asking.

She nodded. "Y-Yes, that was him. I asked him to join us but he was running late for a meeting with Tsunade-sa-sama. He suggested that we meet up later to catch up."

Sakura frowned. "But he... he didn't even say hello to me," she muttered, looking down at the table in front of her. Hinata saw the solemnity in the girl's mood and quickly went about eradicating it.

"N-No, Sakura-chan, don't worry! Naruto-kun simply is running late. He wanted to talk to you, but he d-didn't want to face the consquences of being even later than he was," she excused, even if she wasn't sure if it was even true. She was just covering for the blonde.

Sakura cut her eyes at her. "He had time to talk to _you_," she snapped, her voice laced with jealousy so potent that everyone at the table could practically smell it.

An awkward silence befell the group of friends, looking between the fiery pink haired vice president and the quiet Hyuuga heiress.

Hinata's face was slowly turning a bright red from her neck to the tips of her ears. Clearly she was frazzled. "S-S-S-Sakura-chan," she protested, her stutter growing increasingly worse at the radical accusation, "I-I-I w-w-was just- we s-simply-"

Kiba leaned across the table. "Wow, Hinata! Your stutter is back!"

Hinata's face burned twice as bright as if someone had stuck her on the inside of a sauna and turned the heat up. She worked to hide her face from view, not wanting anyone to comment on her face along with her nervous habit. She ended up standing up abruptly. "E-E-Excuse m-me," she stammered out quietly, leaving the table and fast walking towards the cafeteria doors.

Ino watched, feeling sympathy for the poor girl. "Sakura, look what you did!" she shouted at her in disbelief.

But Sakura wasn't listening. She stared at the doors, not looking towards Hinata, but in the direction that her blonde boy had gone in. For some reason, he got the feeling that he just hadn't wanted to see her.

'_Naruto...'_

* * *

"You're late!" Tsunade barked at him the second he slid into her office, barely giving him the opportunity to sit in the chair across from her desk.

Naruto grimaced, slouching in his seat. He already felt forlorn, and he hadn't even been in the office for thirty seconds. "I was with my dad this morning. I couldn't be on time."

The woman that had acted as a drunken great aunt to him for the majority of his life and was one of his father's advisors sighed at him in sympathy. "Sit up, Naruto. We have important matters to discuss." She placed her elbows on her desk, lacing her fingers together and settling her chin in the bridge that they made. Naruto always used to think that she looked twice as intimidating that way.

Naruto looked around. One more person should have joined them for this meeting, but he didn't see the old hermit anywhere, nor did he see him in the halls on his way there. Almost instantly, the memory of their little one-sided argument in front of the school flashed in his head, and he bit his lip guiltily. Had he decided to skip ou because of what he'd said?

"Where's Ero-sennin?" he brought himself to ask.

Tsunade looked around as well, as if not noticing that her old friend wasn't in the room. Her expression took on a look of thoughtfulness. And then she snapped her fingers and sat back as if remembering something. "He went to discuss with the board about your father's condition and how he'll be taking over in some of his duties while he's incapacitated." Naruto winced. He felt like they were talking about his father like he was dying and they needed a quick course of action before Minato kicked the bucket. How serious was this?

Naruto nodded. "So it's just you and me?" he asked. The older woman nodded, offering a gentle smile that both sent shivers down his spine and gave him a feeling of warmth at the same time.

"Let's begin, shall we? Now, we have to work on your image..."

"Huh? What's wrong with how I look?"

"You reek of irresponsible kid. When the papers make headlines of the once Namikaze prodigy, they don't see a promising little boy who looks like he could take over from his dad one day anymore. They don't even see the adorable little boy who held onto his mom's pants' leg and sucked his thumb in almost every picture taken of him. They see the scary hooligan rockstar who took a year off from school to ride in a smelly tourbus with his three delinquent friends in order to make music. And that is exactly the kinds of stories the press will print about you. No one, and I mean no one, will want to invest in a company with a kid like that holding the reins. They'd expect it to fail, and fail hard. Current investers and partners might even pull out the second that we name you Minato's successor."

Naruto sat there with his mouth agape. "They'd do that?"

Tsunade nodded with certainty. "It happens all the time, Naruto. It's actually an issue right now with the Hyuuga family and naming Hinata their next head. There's a big uproar an many people want Hiashi to disown her as the heir and give the company to her little sister, Hanabi."

Naruto's face went blank. "Hanabi is barely fourteen."

"But she shows more promise in the eye of the public than Hinata, and that's what matters to people. Hiashi doesn't want his business to crumble because people don't respect Hinata."

"But... will he do it? Disown Hinata, I mean?"

Tsunade shrugged. "It could happen," she replied honestly.

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "That's so unfair..."

"Such is the business world, Naruto."

Naruto looked up, a thought occurring to him. "Baa-chan... Would you and Ero-sennin do that to me?" he asked, looking fearful.

Tsunade bit her lip, deciding to answer his question carefully and with tact. "You don't have any siblings or direct cousins for us to consider doing that, Naruto. You're an only child. But ultimately..." She exhaled. "It wouldn't be our decision to make."

* * *

**A/N WOO! An update in two days? I think I deserve a cookie! Yes? No? Okay... moving on.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review with what ya think :]**


	4. Chapter 4

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Sasuke wandered the halls of the school by himself, since he wasn't in the mood for the happy-go-lucky reunion that his bandmates and their girlfriends had planned in the cafeteria. He had been able to stand it for a little while, but he left shortly after Hinata ran away. He could tell after that that things weren't going to go down a very nice path, so he'd decided right away that it would be in his best interest to just leave. He wouldn't be able to keep his patience around his friends when they were faced with another one of their "crises". He just wasn't in the mood.

He did like being around them... sometimes. They were funny and amused him. But he just couldn't take their lovey dovey moments. For one, he didn't have a girlfriend and everyone was prancing around acting like they'd been infected with the love disease and there was absolutely no cure. The symptoms included being more annoying than any single person could stand to take. Maybe he would be able to endure it if he wasn't single himself, but although he'd had admirers since he was six years old, no girl exactly had the courage to go on a date with him. If his last name didn't intimidate them, then the persona that his peers built for him certainly did. And it was hard for girls to get over all that. He was destined to be alone forever.

It wasn't so depressing when they were on tour. At least when it was just the band, it was _just the band. _Although there were screaming fangirls, there wasn't exactly any relationships going on. He and his friends just had each other and used one another to battle the crippling loneliness that comes with being popular wherever they went.

But now they were home, and he had to deal with that alone.

Itachi graduated last year and was busy making their father proud as the top ranking rookie in their family's police force. Naruto had been acting strange ever since he visited Konoha right before deciding to come home. Besides, he had Sakura to keep him busy now. Kiba had Hinata and Shikamaru had Ino. Who did he have? _What_ did he have? Nothing.

Sasuke jammed his fists into the pockets of his khakis and lowered his head to scowl angrily at the ground. But he really should have been paying attention to where he was going because he took one step around the corner at the end of the hall and ended up slamming himself into the body of another, smaller, poor human figure.

The force of the impact caused the two of them to repel from one another like magnets of the same charge. Sasuke flew back and landed hard on his butt, squeezing his eyes shut on impact with the harsh tiled floors. He heard another thud and a squeak and then the shuffle of papers and books and pencils as they clattered to the ground around them.

"Ouch!" The other person, a female, hissed in annoyance. Sasuke could relate to how she felt. He was _annoyed._ Why hadn't she been watching where she was going? Stupid, stupid girl. He opened his eyes to glare at his attacker and paused, met with the fiery, intense gray eyes of a tiny girl - a freshman at most. Why was she glaring at _him_? Girls didn't glare at him! Besides, this was all _her _fault. "Why don't you watch where you're going, duckbutt?" she growled.

Shocked, Sasuke was at a loss of words for a moment. But after realizing that the girl was still glaring at him, he found them. "Me? You bumped into me you... you... freshman!"

She narrowed her eyes at him as if trying to calculate his intelligence. "Are you kidding me? Is that the best that you can do?"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and started gathering her things up around her with a huff. "You must be really stupid. I don't have time for this. I'm already late for class," she grumbled to herself. She shoved everything into her backpack unceremoniously and stood up to go. "I hope you find your tongue." And then she stormed off.

Stunned, Sasuke continued to sit there. Had she really made fun of his hair?

* * *

Naruto sat silently in the chair across from the principle, frowning to himself. His fingers fidgeted in his lap and he tried to understanding all that Tsunade explained to him. No, he didn't want to change himself just so the people that supported his dad would like him, but he didn't want those same people to take away their investment and ruin the company that his dad built from the ground up. It would break his dad's heart if it all got ruined because his son decided to be a little selfish. Besides, he wouldn't need to _change_ exactly. Not on the inside, just in public. Yeah.

"O-Okay, yeah. I'll do it," he finally answered. "When's the first lesson on how not to be me?"

Tsunade looked at the young heir with startled amber eyes. It was clear that she hadn't expected Naruto to give in that easily. Especially after Minato told her just how successful Naruto's "gentleman classes" were last year. She'd expected at least some kind of a verbal battle.

"That's it? You'll just give in?"

Naruto shrugged listlessly and looked down at his hands. "It's for my dad. He's always taken care of me and done what I needed him to do. I guess it's my turn. At least until he's okay," he said quietly, very uncharacteristic of him.

The older woman watched him suspiciously for a moment before she decided that he must have been sincere. She nodded once and went into a drawer in her desk, retrieving a single sheet of paper. "First things first, I'm going to need you to allow me to release your real name to the press."

Naruto looked at her, confused. "What?"

She slid the paper onto the desk, along with a pen. "Shortly after the passing of your mother, I remember you insisting to your father that he begin to call you Uzumaki, not Namikaze. You began to renounce your name so passionately that he started to believe you were ashamed of it and him, maybe even that you blamed him a little for what happened to her. He was so heartbroken, but he did as you asked and stopped claiming you as a Namikaze. He didn't take you out with him as much, and preferred that the two of you spent time together indoors where you were more comfortable. He also made Jiraiya and I sign a promisary agreement, stating that neither one of us was to release the name of your father, so that you could fully turn your back on the Namikaze name like you wished. If asked, Jiraiya was your caretaker and guardian. But I think it would be beneficial to your image if you allowed me to release your name and secret to the press. Although it's no secret here who your father is, there are still parts of the country and world where the Namikaze heir is still lost. If we officially release this story, it may help to erase that rockstar image of you and replace it with a reunion story of you and your father's reconciliation."

Naruto stared at her for a moment, jaw slightly slack. He tried to process Tsunade's plan in his mind while also coming to terms with what he'd just learned about why his dad had agreed to him unofficially changing his name. It had never been his intention for his dad to think that he was _ashamed_ of him - although the shame and embarrassment came later due simply to how his dad _behaved _- or that he blamed him for what happened to his mom. He just didn't want to be picked on because other kids were jealous of him because of who is father was. And when he got to middle school, that turned into not wanting to be treated differently because of it. But he'd never meant to hurt his dad's feelings.

He stared at Tsunade, his eyebrows furrowed. "A reunion story? But my dad and I have never been separated. We've always been together."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, but the press doesn't _know that_, Naruto. You completely dropped off the face of the Earth to the real world. Something like that doesn't just happen so suddenly, especially when you seemed to be so bubbly and happy in the lime light as a child. No one could explain why it happened, or why your father seemed to be grieving whenever they asked him about you." Tsunade reached into that same drawer where she'd gotten the agreement papers and pulled out a newspaper article. It was wrinkled and yellow with age. She slapped it onto the desk and Naruto leaned over to read it. He almost gasped as he read: **The End of a Legacy? : Young Heir to Namikaze Name Dead along with Mother!**

He sat back, eyes bugged. "But I wasn't... Dad didn't tell them that, did he?" He stammered, afraid that his grieving father had killed him off to make things easier.

Tsunade shook her head. "No, but he didn't need to. They came to that conclusion on their own. He never agreed or disagreed with the allegations, but the press took it as fact. You and your mother were in the same place, you disappeared shortly after the funeral, and your dad stopped talking about you when he used to brag all day about his pride and joy."

"But... Dead?"

Tsunade nodded her head again. "Dead. Consider yourself lucky. It made it easier for you to renounce your name like you wanted to."

"I didn't want to-!"

She held up a hand, silencing him. "Regardless of what you wanted, will you sign the agreement so that we can refute these allegations?" she asked, pointing to the original piece of paper.

Without thinking, Naruto grabbed the pen that Tsunade held out for him. He leaned forward and scribbled his chicken scratch over the dotted line, frowning to himself.

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

It was Sakura's free period and she decided to go straight to her room rather than the library because it was less likely people would try to come find her in her room than the library. She enjoyed being the vice president of the student body, but it definitely had its downsides. Sometimes she just liked to be alone.

She frowned to herself and plopped down on her bed, the same bed that she'd had the year before with Hinata and Ino and Tenten. She hadn't wanted to actually have this room this year, especially seeing as how the boy's hadn't been back from their tour yet and she'd missed Naruto so much that the idea of his old room being across the hall just sort of brought her spirits down, but Ino had begged and pleaded so much to stay in the beautiful room that Sakura had no choice to agree. Besides, she didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun just because Naruto wouldn't be there anymore.

But he was back now. And as she looked towards her own closed door that led into the hallway, she wondered if he would want to be in his old room, too. He seemed like he liked it last year, but he'd traveled the world so much over the past year (she'd followed the tour for the first few months via the media) and had probably stayed in hotel rooms across the world that were ten times better than that room. Besides, he seemed in quite the hurry to get out of the cafeteria when he spotted her - she'd caught him staring at her before he bolted. Would he even want to be around her anymore? Did he lose his feelings for her and just didn't know how to tell her?

Sakura groaned quietly to herself. That would be just what she deserved. Naruto had had a crush on her for years and she only just now begun to acknowledge his feelings. It would only be the works of Karma if suddenly Naruto realized that he just didn't like her that way, when Sakura herself felt that he was all that she wanted.

"Naruto..." Sakura mumbled, flopping back on her own bed.

"What about him?" A voice called from behind her. Sakura whirled around to spot Tenten coming out of the bathroom with her hair abnormally down her back and out of her usual buns. The strands were wet and water droplets dripped onto the white carpet. She must have been in the shower.

Sakura swallowed, eyes wide. She'd thought she was alone. Her roommates all had classes this period. "What are you doing here, Tenten?"

The brunette shrugged and moved fully into the room, plopping down at the single desk in the room. "I'm a senior. I'm entitled to the occassional skip. But last period was gym so I decided to shower." She stuck her tongue out. "I repeat, what about Naruto?"

Sakura sighed at the repeat of the blonde boy's name. With it came the tumble of all of her insecurities. "I don't think he likes me anymore, let alone loves me," she groaned, laying on her bed in distress.

The older girl frowned and sat in the chair so that the back of it pressed against her chest. "What makes you think that? Did he write you a letter?" she asked, already sounding sympathetic.

In the beginning, Naruto and Sakura had exchanged a few letters back and forth to keep in touch. But with Naruto moving around so much it got hard for Sakura to tell where she should send the letter. So they'd both decided that it was too much trouble and they would talk when they got the chance. Every once in a while she'd get a postcard from him, but that was it.

The pinkette shook her head. "No. But I saw him today in the cafeteria and he... well, he kind of ran out of there when he saw me."

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows. "He's back?"

"Stay focused, Ten."

The older girl waved her off. "Yeah, okay. Well, did he _say_ that he was done with you?"

"Do _not_ say it like that!"

"Like what?"

"'_Done with me_'" Sakura repeated, a look of disgust on her face. "It makes me feel like a toy."

The brunette rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over the top of the back of the chair. "Okay, whatever. Did he say that he didn't like you anymore?"

Sakura groaned. Sometimes she felt like Tenten never listened to her. "No! Didn't I just tell you that he left as soon as he saw me?"

Tenten smirked. "So he never said that?"

"He didn't say anything."

"So you're jumping to conclusions because he didn't say hi?" Tenten concluded, raising a dark eyebrow. She shook her head to herself. "For all you know, he could have been busy."

"Well, that's what Hinata said but I figured..."

Tenten scoffed. "So Hinata _told _you why he left, and you're still sitting here moping? What the hell is wrong with you, forehead?" she scolded, adopting the vicious elementary school nickname that Ino bestowed her with. "Even if he is avoiding you, he can't do it forever. If you think he doesn't want to date you, ask him about it. Jeez, Sakura. I thought you were smarter than this. Didn't we go through a similar situation with Naruto last year?"

Sakura nodded slowly, recalling when Tenten and Ino cornered her and Hinata in the bathroom for a little bit of counseling on their boy troubles. And here she was, spilling the same story to Tenten; only this time, she was the one assuming instead of Naruto, and they were in their dorm room instead of a bathroom.

"I... Well..." Sakura sighed, not knowing what else to say. "I guess I could ask Minato-sensei about where I could find Naruto. If they aren't together, he would at least know where Naruto would be."

Tenten smiled at her friend. "That's putting that brain to work. Lemme know how it goes." She stood up and started heading for the door.

Sakura stared at her curiously. "Where are you going?"

Tenten flashed her a mischievous smirk over her shoulder. "Oh, since I'm more than positive that my boyfriend likes me, I'm going to force him to take me to lunch this period. Don't wait up." And then before Sakura could throw something at her head, Tenten left and shut the door behind her.

Sakura scowled after her. "I'll show her."

* * *

**A/N I'm way more than a little disappointed in myself. I saw that I'd only written _three _chapters for this story! Three! And I haven't updated since December. Who does that? I do. Because I suck. Feel free to review with how much of a horrible author I am for keeping you waiting.**

**I hope this is worth it since I set up a plot and a few minor subplots in this chapter. I'll try to update much, much faster.**

**Comments, questions, concerns? REVIEW.**


	5. Chapter 5

******I think I want these updates to move a little faster than my other story, only because of the lack of chapters so far. When I get around the nine to ten chapter mark, the updates will probably slow down. But until then, I'm not comfortable or satisfied with this measley amount of chapters. **

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Naruto left Tsunade's office feeling like he'd just sold his soul to the devil. Well, that may be an exaggeration. Tsunade wasn't a _devil_ exactly. She was just trying to help his dad, who was going through rough times with his health. But dammit... why did he have to be the one who was sacrificed for his dad's wellbeing? Why _him_? He knew it was selfish to think it, but why couldn't his mom and dad have had another son before she died? It was... unfair.

Naruto sighed and looked down at the class schedule in his hands. Tsunade had just given it to him and told him to get to class. But as he looked at it and the words and bell schedules blurred in his eyes, he decided against it. He wouldn't be up for learning in his current mood. He had a hard enough time concentrating when he _was_ up for school. So instead of education, he chose to pursue another form of productivity. His music.

He snuck around the school and thankfully avoided the school's anbu guards well enough that he reached the music room without much hassle. As soon as he stepped inside he felt like his troubles washed away. Music. It was his savior.

He walked back over to the chair in the middle of the room where he'd been sitting when Hinata walked in. He plopped down and removed the guitar case that was still strapped to his back and pulled out the guitar Sasuke'd bought him. He smiled to himself and strummed a few chords. Simple chords that Sasuke taught him to play when he was first learning. Simple, like he wished his life was...

"I knew I'd find you in here," A sweet voice spoke from the doorway, deliciously pouring over his ears like honey and wrapping around his brain like a python. It had been so long since he'd heard that voice in real life, it took his breath away.

Naruto turned around, jaw slightly slack as he took in the image of his Sakura-chan up close and personal - not staring at her creepily from across the cafeteria. "Sakura-chan... Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked, standing up abruptly.

She swept a pink bang behind her ear and away from her bright green eyes. "I've been looking for you. I saw you in the cafeteria earlier but..."

"Yeah I was late for my appointment with Tsunade."

They both looked awkwardly at one another before letting their eyes fall to their own feet. Naruto shuffled his weight back and forth with his feet and Sakura just came fully into the room. Neither one of them said anything for a while and the room was soon overcome with an uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Sakura looked up. "How's your dad?" she asked him meekly.

Naruto looked up and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He didn't know how to answer, given that he didn't know how much the student body knew about his dad. He didn't want to tell everyone if Minato wanted to keep it a secret. "He's fine," he answered simply. It was vague, but gave just enough information to keep from seeming impolite. "He's taking some time off from work, just a little while."

Sakura nodded. It looked like she wasn't really interested in the answer, but was just trying to make small talk with the boy who _should _have been her boyfriend. It was never this hard to talk to Naruto before... "How are you?" she asked, looking into his eyes and seeming genuinely interested.

Naruto bit his lip. "I'm good. You?"

"Good. I'm good."

Silence creeped over them yet again.

Sakura cleared her throat. "So do you want to talk?"

"Aren't we doing that already?"

She fidgeted where she stood. Her expression said it all - she thought this was a bad idea and should never have come looking for him. "It's just... We haven't... really talked in so long," she stammered quietly, playing with her hands in front of herself.

Naruto watched her critically. Sakura was different. She wasn't the same confident girl that he left - she was fidgety and nervous, even when speaking to _him. _Maybe that girl in the cafeteria was an illusion, something he imagined just because she was the student vice president. Sakura changed, and not in the positive way that he thought.

He bit his lip. "We can talk tonight. Get together with everyone or something. But right now isn't a good time. Some kids have already asked the band to play at a get-together soon and I gotta practice...," he lied, looking down at his feet. He felt bad about it, but he didn't want to let his vision of his perfect Sakura deteriorate anymore. He didn't like shy, fidgety Sakura.

Sakura's eyes got wide and she opened and closed her mouth a few times, but eventually said, "D-Don't worry about it, Naruto. I'll see you around." She back towards the door, turning and leaving. He didn't notice as she shut the door behind her that the pretty green eyes that he'd just been admiring were now filled with salty unshed tears.

* * *

Hinata found herself in the Health room with Kurenai as the older woman sat rubbing her baby bump while sitting in the large teacher's chair behind the desk. Ever since the pretty teacher had gotten herself pregnant (with a baby who she still refused to name the father of), she didn't move around very much. She couldn't stand to stay standing for very long and complained if she was required to move to any area of the school where she couldn't roll her desk chair- which was everywhere outside of her classroom. Once she'd confiscated a wheelchair from the nurse's office for herself, but Tsunade forced her to give it back in case a student needed it for some reason or other. Pregnant Kurenai was quite the complainer and most people found it a little frustrating to be around her. But not Hinata. She was goodnatured about the whining, knowing that the normally kind and sweet Kurenai couldn't help it.

"I don't even know if he likes me anymore," Hinata revealed in regards to Kiba. "We talked while he was on tour a lot and he sent me a lot of postcards and letters, but the ones he sent most recently started to seem to me like he was only seeing me as a friend. The way he wrote to me was almost... too easy." The young Hyuga made a face.

Kurenai continued to rub her belly, thinking to herself for a moment before she said, "Well, did you consider he might have just gotten comfortable with you as his girlfriend? That can sometimes be misunderstood as friendship when a boy has really just stopped feeling like he has to hide one side of himself from you. It's a good thing."

Hinata shrugged. "I guess so."

"You aren't sexually active, are you?" Kurenai asked, narrowing her eyes at the young heiress.

Hinata jumped and her eyes grew wide. "What!? No! What would make you ask that!?"

"Good. Stay that way," Kurenai ordered, waving her hand in the air carelessly. "If you have sex you'll get pregnant with some idiot man's big headed baby that sits on your bladder for almost six hours of every day and makes it impossible not to have to pee every two minutes. And don't get me started on the cravings that said father of said child refuses to help you satisfy in the wee hours of the morning. Not like you wouldn't have satisfied his wee morning urges before the stupid baby..."

Hinata raised an eyebrow at the ranting older woman. "Do you want to talk about it, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Hm? Talk about what?" Kurenai asked innocently.

"Your baby's father troubles."

"I don't have baby's father troubles!"

"Seems like it."

"I don't."

"Do you want to tell me who it is yet?" Hinata asked with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"No!"

* * *

"Say it again," Shikamaru commanded of his girlfriend who was currently seated in a corner of the library with his head in her lap. He would have preferred to go outside to sit in the courtyard, but Ino had insisted that teachers would less likely suspect skipping students to be in the library than in the courtyard. '_Who skips class just to go to the library?' _ She'd said.

"I love you," Ino replied, leaning to kiss his lips again. He leaned down to meet her halfway and her long platinum blonde hair fell over their faces like a curtain. It was becoming a game to them now. Kind of like "peek-a-boo".

"Say it again," he repeated before they even had the chance to pull away from one another.

Ino giggled. "I love you," she said softly, kissing him again. She pulled away from him, tucking her hair back behind her ear. It had been in a ponytail when they first got there, but some time afterwards, Shikamaru had loosened it to the point that the band disappeared on the floor somewhere. "Why don't you say it to me for once?" she asked, running her finger down his face. During his tour he had actually started to grow a bit of stubble on his chin and although it was barely noticeable, the skin wasn't smooth anymore. It was like rubbing a peach.

Shikamaru smirked. "Are you doubting my feelings for you?"

Ino shrugged. "I mean, you've only ever said it once to me and that was right before we got together. How do I know that you actually love me and weren't just saying it before so I wouldn't go out with Sai?"

The lethargic Nara stretched his arms out lazily and snuggled deeper in her lap. "Because I wasn't worried in the first place. You didn't like Sai anyway, so regardless if I said I loved you or not, we would have ended up together at some point."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "If that was my only goal, saying 'I love you' would have been a bad move on my part. That means commitment and you women become a drag when commitment's involved."

"A drag? Am I a drag?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I won't lie, sometimes you are. But most of the time you aren't."

Ino furrowed her brows. "Most of the time?"

"Ninety percent."

"Are you serious, Shika? You just called me a drag!"

He shrugged like it was no big deal. "So? I call everything a drag. But of all the things that are troublesome, you're the least."

Ino frowned. "You just killed the mood." She pushed him off of her lap, crossing her arms over her chest. Shikamaru, shocked, rolled over to face her with wide eyes. What had he done?

"What did I do?"

"All you had to do was say you loved me! Instead you call me annoying!" she almost shouted at him. If they hadn't been in the library, she would have yelled. But regardless of the volume of her voice, she was annoyed with him. Pissed even.

"I said you were the least annoying thing in my life. What's wrong with that?"

She facepalmed. "It means I'm still annoying, Shikamaru."

"That's not what I meant at all," he protested.

"It's what you said."

"Why do you have to be so troublesome?"

"See!" she groaned. She stood up and grabbed her violet purse, heading towards the door. "I'm leaving before you end up choking on that foot in your mouth."

Shikamaru threw his hands in the air. "What did I _do_!?" he hissed.

She waved goodbye to him, still walking off. "Maybe I'll go find Sai. He'll cheer me up. He's a _sweet_ boy."

At that, the normally lazy boy jumped up from his spot and darted after her. "Ino, don't you _dare_!"

She ignored him. "Oh Sai... Wanna hang out?" Ino sang throughout the library, just wanting to get on Shikamaru's nerves. She knew that the black haired artist wouldn't be in the library that period. Although he was studious, she knew from searching him out while Shikamaru was gone that he liked to spend his free periods in the art studio. And the bell would be ringing for Sai's free period very soon. She would meet him there.

"Ino!" Shikamaru hissed behind her.

* * *

**A/N Poor Shikamaru, Ino messin' with his thoughts and things. But she just wants to be loved :)**

**So tell me what you think guys! Constructive criticism is MOOOOORE than welcome. Key word is constructive. Love you allll.**

**As always, comments, questions, or concerns... REVIEW.**


	6. Chapter 6

******Hey, stop worrying guys. Narusaku is going to be just FINE. I'm not killing the couple. Helloooo, Narusaku story here. No one loves them more than me. So relax, I've got it all worked out. Trust me :) **

******Also, thank you to EmilyLovesbooks, ahmadaziz for reviewing last chapter! I loove your input. More than Naruto loves ramen :)**

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**[One Week Later]**

Naruto glowered at the loose black and white striped tie hung around his neck then at the older woman who was responsible for it being there. "I hate this."

"You agreed to this."

"Doesn't mean I don't hate it." He gripped both ends of the tie in his fists, trying to tie it the way that Tsunade had shown him. But he made a wrong flip somewhere and the stupid thing ended up looking like nothing more than a knot in a string. He _hated_ tying ties! He was never good at it. Tou-san always tied his ties.

"Come on, Naruto. We went over this a dozen times. Why is this so hard for you?"

"Tou-san ties my ties for me. He always has. I never have to. Even when he tried to teach me last year he just ended up doing it," Naruto muttered. He yanked roughly on the stupid knot until it came undone and tried to go over it again. He only failed epicly once again. "Why do I have to even know this!? This is fucking stupid!"

"Watch your mouth, kid," Tsunade repremanded him sternly. She walked over and pulled the tie from his hands and, in what seemed to be only a few swift movements, made a perfect knot around his neck. "Your father won't be around forever to do this for you. You need to learn."

Naruto pouted childishly. "When he's gone I'll find someone else."

"Like who?"

"Advisers like you and ero-sennin."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in that way it does when she's flabbergasted at Naruto's ignorance. "Advisers are not servants, Naruto. We don't tie ties."

"My advisers would."

"No adviser ties ties, brat."

"Mine would."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, not believing that he could be so stubborn. But she figured that his donkey-like personality could come in handy when it came time for him to make business deals. She'd learned over the years of working with his father that Minato could be pretty stubborn himself. "Okay, fine. You don't need to tie ties just yet, Naruto. But you _will_ learn," she added sternly when she saw the elated look on the young blonde's face. "I suppose we should go over how you're going to act at that Function this Friday."

"So soon?" Naruto asked, deflating. "I hate functions..."

"The sooner the better, Naruto. You know that time is of the essence." She walked over to Minato's desk, since they'd decided to use his classroom for Naruto's businessman training, and retrieved a little mirror from one of the drawers. Naruto didn't even want to _know_ why his father kept a mirror in his desk. Tsunade walked back over and held it out for Naruto. "Look at your reflection and tell me what you see."

The blonde took the mirror and held it in front of his face. His eyes glanced over the whisker marks on his cheeks and his piercing cerulean blue eyes and his striking spikey blonde hair. "I see me. Uzumaki Naruto," he answered simply, without even thinking about his answer.

Tsunade's face appeared in the reflection of the mirror. "Well, what if I did this...?" Her hands appeared and slowly matted down his blonde locks until his spikey and unruly hair was matted down on the sides. But she couldn't smooth out the spikes completely and they still stuck out in some places. But it looked a hell of a lot neater than it did before. He looked like his dad... "Now what do you see?"

"Not me. I see my dad. A Namikaze."

Tsunade pulled the mirror away from his hands and set it down on a nearby desk. "Why does it seem like a different person just because you straightened your hair out?"

Naruto reached up and touched his hair. "Because... Namikazes are never messy. They're always in control of everything. But Uzumakis... Mom," he corrected himself, "Mom was sometimes out of control. She did ditzy things just because she could. And when I didn't want my hair brushed, she wouldn't force me to. Tou-san forced me to." He frowned and grabbed a clump of his hair, yanking it upwards. The spikes sprang back to life almost instantly.

Tsunade frowned. "Now why'd you go and do that, Naruto? You looked nice."

"Let's go over something else, okay?"

The older woman sighed. He was just as difficult as Minato said he would be. "Fine. We can try Etiquette next."

* * *

**[A few hours later, after school]**

Sakura sat with her friends in the courtyard of the school at a picnic table. Well, she sat with the friends that even bothered to show up. Sasuke was missing and so were Ino and Shika, but that was expected. She hadn't seen very much of her best friend since her boyfriend came back. She was always wrapped up in Shikamaru now. But she couldn't blame her. If Naruto wasn't so very obviously avoiding her, she would be pretty wrapped up in him too. But he was, so now she was sitting with Kiba, Hinata, Neji, and Tenten.

"There's a rumor that Akatsuki is throwing a party tonight. I think it's to finally unveil Pain as their new head. You know that's always a big deal for them," Tenten was saying, holding her head up with her fist. "We could crash it." What Sakura liked about Tenten and Neji as a couple was that it wasn't impossible to hang out with them. Just because they were together they didn't find it necessary to announce to the world that they were a couple by crawling over one another every two seconds of the day. As they were, Tenten was in her _own_ seat on the picnic bench with Neji a few centimeters to her left. But they were _apart_.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow. "You don't think that would piss them off?"

"Why would it?"

Neji chimed in, "They aren't exactly known for being a friendly and charismatic group of individuals. It's a group of snobs that pride themselves on excluding everyone that isn't worthy."

Tenten turned to her boyfriend with a smirk. "You mean like the Hyuga family?"

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Don't go there."

Tenten shrugged. "Just saying, sounds like you're describing how your uncle treated me at dinner."

"I said sorry for that-!"

Sakura held up her hands in order to play the peacemaker. "Guys, can we get back on track? Tenten, where's the party?"

The brunette looked at Sakura and then nodded towards Building B of the campus. "That dorm's lobby. Picked special. But anyway as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by my snob of a boyfriend, Sakura happens to be the VP. Pain is, by default, the President. It would look bad for Pain's image if Sakura wasn't invited. Everyone would know they're huge snobs."

"Everyone already knows that."

"_But,"_ Tenten interrupted, "they don't talk about it. They'd talk about it if someone as sweet as Sakura was snobbed. She's our ticket in."

Sakura made a face. "You're using my position in office to get into an Akatsuki party?"

Tenten nodded. "Duh. Why else would I have convinced you to run? It was all a part of my master plan. Now go over there and talk to Pain about some invites." She pointed her finger towards the fence where a couple of Akatsuki kids were hanging out. There weren't very many since most of them had graduated last year and Akatsuki had yet to find anyone worthy of recruiting yet. But of those that stood there were Sasori, Deidara, Konan, Zetsu, and Pain. The other four members of the group graduated the year before.

Sakura sighed and stood up from the table with her friends to walk over to the group of Akatsuki members. She went right over, head held high - but only because after various one-on-one meetings with the piercing-covered Pain, she was no longer terrified of the older boy. When she came face to face with him, she even smiled. "Hello, Pain. How are you today?"

The red haired boy looked down at her, towering over her by at least a foot. He leaned back against the fence and slid his hands into the pockets of his blazer. "Haruno-san. Hello. I'm fine, and you?" he asked while the other members of the group glowered down at her like the scum of the earth. The only one who didn't look like they were upset by her presence was Pain's best friend Konan who didn't seem to care at all about her. Like, she didn't care that she even _existed_.

"Fine. Hey, um, I heard you were throwing a party tonight in Building B."

"Yeah. And?" Sasori was the one to answer. He was always the rudest of the group, even if his eyes made you think he was being thoughtful.

Sakura turned to him. "I was wondering if I could stop by."

Konan nudged Pain. "I told you, Nagato. She'd want to be one of us if you talked to her." She didn't sound happy or annoyed by the idea.

Pain raised a pierced eyebrow at her. It was a wonder how he got into Konoha High looking that way. "You want to be in Akatsuki?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head hard. "N-no! I don't wanna... I mean, not that your group isn't great, but I don't want to be a part of you. I just wanted to go to your party," she said weakly.

Sasori smirked. "Oh yeah? How bad?"

Sakura looked over at him warily. "Um... What?"

The short redhead nodded his head towards a tree on the edge of the courtyard. Sakura followed the direction with her eyes and saw Naruto sitting beneath a tree with his headphones on. He looked asleep, his head following back against the tree's trunk and his mouth hanging open slightly. He seemed to have gotten used to the casual dress days already and was wearing a pair of jeans ripped at both knees and a black graphic band T shirt. "Naruto?" Sakura inquired, looking back at Sasori.

Sasori nodded. "We don't have any entertainment for tonight. But it could be good for us if the famous Bowling for Ramen performed at our party. Get him to show up and you can come. And invite your little friends."

Sakura sweatdropped. "_Him_?"

Sasori nodded. "Yeah. Him. Get him to play, or you're not invited. It won't be a problem, will it?"

Sakura bit her lip, then looked back at her table to where Tenten was giving her supportive looks. She couldn't go back there without an invite to the party. She looked back at Sasori, shaking her head. "No, it won't be a problem. Naruto will be there. No worries."

Sasori smirked at her. "Good. Now run along, would you?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed with how rude he was being towards her, but she wanted to go to the party too much to tell him off. She'd deal with it for now but she swore she'd tear him a new one later on. "I'll see you later, Pain," she said, turning and walking back to her table. But her eyes glanced over unvoluntarily at the sleeping Naruto beneath the shade of the tree. She bit her lip and then walked over to him, plopping down beside him.

Her presence seemed to disturb him. He jolted up, looking dazedly around and wiping unsuccessfully at a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth. "Wha? Huh? Who?" He looked over, eyes focusing on Sakura's face. He jumped again, sitting up straight. His face turned a bright shade of red. "Sakura-chan. U-Uh hey, what's up?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. She hadn't even said anything to him and she was regretting coming over. "Shut up and listen, Baka. I need a favor," she said forcefully.

Naruto's eyes got wide in surprise. "A favor? What is it?"

Sakura crossed her arms. "Tenten wants to go to an Akatsuki party tonight but they won't invite us unless you make an appearance with your band. So I'm asking you to make an appearance."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "To like... play?"

"Yes, Naruto. They want you to play. Just a song or something. But this means a lot to Tenten. She's a senior and all and hasn't been invited to an Akatsuki party yet..."

"I'll do it."

"Huh?"

Naruto shrugged. "I said I'd do it. If you're going to be there, I mean." He smiled at her.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. What was his deal? One second he's avoiding her and the next he's kissing up? "Just be there," she muttered, standing up.

"Sakura-chan, wait!" Naruto called, grabbing her hand.

She looked down at him. "What?"

"How long have... you and Nagato been close?" he asked, glancing over at the tall redheaded kid standing off in the distance.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. Did he just call him Nagato? Only people _close_ to Nagato could call him Nagato. Even Sasori called him 'Pain'. Once a freshman tried to call him by his real name and he ended up disappearing. His bookbag was found in a dumpster a mile from Nagato's family home. "Oh, him? Uh, you know... Pain's the President and I'm the vice president. The closeness just kind of happened," she replied, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand. She didn't know why she felt the need to lie, but she did. Maybe he wouldn't avoid her so much if he thought she was cool enough to hang out with Nagato.

She felt his hand slip from hers. "O-Oh. Well, okay then. I guess I'll see you at the party, huh? Tell Nagato I said um hi," he muttered, sounding crestfallen. Sakura almost turned around to look at him but changed her mind. She would not give him sympahy. He didn't deserve her sympathy.

"Yeah, see you later."

* * *

**A/N I really wanted to add more to this chapter but I just couldn't fit it all. Had to break it all up. But on the bright side, I'll have an easier time updating the next one! I worked really hard to get this updated today SO you're welcome. **

**Comments, questions, concerns? REVIEW.**


	7. Chapter 7

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**[That night]**

The party was already in full swing but the band hadn't gone on yet. He _should_ have been thinking about the band and the songs they were going to sing and trying to get himself in the zone. But all he could think about was Sakura with Nagato. _Nagato _of all people. When would she have gotten the chance to even talk to that guy? He was... an asshole!

"Hey, Earth to Dobe. We're about to go on," Sasuke muttered to Naruto, jarring him out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized that while he was daymaring about Sakura with another guy, the rest of the band had been doing what they were supposed to and getting ready to perform.

Naruto looked at Sasuke sheepishly. "Shut it, teme. I'm ready. Come on."

* * *

**[In the actual party]**

Sakura was alone. Well, relatively alone. There was a huge crowd of anxious guests waiting around for Naruto to go on, so she wasn't technically alone. But she didn't know any of the dozens of faces that were around her because her friends had disappeared shortly after arriving. Tenten and Neji left to go dance with one another half an hour ago and never resurfaced. Ino was drinking to piss off Shikamaru later. Hinata was speaking to another one of her family members who had actually been invited to the party without having to bribe the Akatsuki members. So Sakura was just alone, being the lonely VP.

"Haruno-san, I see you made it," Pain said behind her. Sakura whirled around to see him standing really close to her with a plastic red cup in his hand. Even though the party only started a second ago he already looked a drink away from wasted. His eyes were glassy and unfocused and the smirk on his face was lazy. He was far from his normally composed self.

Sakura nodded and took a discreet step away from him. He reeked. "Yeah, I did. Naruto's here," she revealed, nodding her head towards the curtain in the middle of the room that the elite club had set up to hide their main event.

Pain nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you know, I never really cared if you brought Naruto here. I wanted you to come anyway. "

A shiver - and not a good shiver - ran down Sakura's spine. "Oh really?" she asked uneasily.

Pain's hand reached out and touched Sakura's upper arm. "Yeah. I've always kind of admired you."

Sakura grabbed his fingers and pried them away from her. Again, she stepped away. Thankfully at that moment, Bowling for Ramen decided to part the curtains and make their appearance, so she had an excuse to get away from him. "Look, Naruto-kun's getting onstage. I think I'm going to go get a closer look."

Unfortunately, The redhead wasn't taking the hint. "I'll join you."

* * *

Naruto stood with the mic in his hands, cursing himself repeatedly. He'd performed for millions of screaming fans all over the world and still he got nervous when it came to performing in a room full of his peers.

"Come on, Dobe! Get a move on," Sasuke hissed at him from his left.

Naruto glared at him for the insult, but took the hint. He looked back at the waiting faces of the party-goers and stepped a little closer to the microphone so they could hear him clearer. "Hey," he greeted them. Cheers sounded at the sound of his voice. It helped to calm him a little. "I'm Naruto and this is Bowling for Ramen." More cheers. "Alright, are you ready to party?"

"Yeah!" The room full of teenagers cheered.

"One, two, three, go!"

_8 o'clock, Monday night and I'm waitin' _  
_To finally talk to a girl a little cooler than me. _  
_Her name is Saku, she's a rocker with a nose ring, _  
_She wears a two way, but I'm not quite sure what that means. _

_And when she walks, _  
_All the wind blows and the angels sing. _  
_She doesn't notice me! _

_...If you were me, then you'd be  
Screamin' "Someone shoot me!"  
As I fail miserably,  
Tryin' to get the girl all the bad guys want. _

Naruto's eyes glanced over the crowd like they normally do when he's performing. His fingers danced purposefully over the strings of his guitar as he looked down at his fans from high school. They landed on a scuffle between two people in the front row, a girl and a boy. The boy was trying to grab at the girl's arms and keep her still but the girl was fighting him off and making it difficult. He managed to get a hold of her for a moment, but she ended up kneeing him in the stomach and running off. He recovered fairly quickly and followed her. As Naruto entered the second verse, he could just barely make out a flash of pink hair.

_She likes the Godsmack and I like Agent Orange _  
_Her cd changer's full of singers that are mad at their dad _  
_She says she'd like to score some reefer and a forty _  
_She'll never know that I'm the best that she'll never -_

"Sakura," Naruto breathed, realizing what he'd just seen. Was Sakura fighting with Pain?

Startled at his outburst through the mic, the rest of the group stopped playing and the music stopped abruptly. There was a shrill squeak as Sasuke screwed up a chord or something, which he hadn't done since middle school. But Naruto didn't care that suddenly everyone was staring silently at him and the cheering stopped. He was eying the doors where Pain was chasing Sakura. Quickly, he pulled his guitar off and tossed it on the ground. He ignored Sasuke calling his name and ran straight for the doors. The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea.

* * *

**[Outside]**

Sakura ran out, heart hammering in her chest and sweat pooling on her skin. She felt utterly disgusting but her hygiene was the last of her troubles.

A hand grabbed her roughly, pushing her against the wall beside the door. "Where do you think you're going?" Pain slurred drunkenly. He smelled even worse outside and away from the smell of sweat and alcohol. He smelled like he'd been drinking since noon.

"Pain, get _off!" _Sakura growled, shoving at the stupid jerk. But he wouldn't budge.

"And if I don't? What are _you_ going to do about it?" he rasped.

"I'll break your neck," Naruto snapped from the doorway. "Get off of Sakura-chan. Now," he demanded.

Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief. Naruto was here. She didn't have to handle Pain all by herself.

Pain turned away from Sakura and faced down Naruto. "Shouldn't you be performing?"

"Shouldn't you be detoxing?" Naruto replied, stepping closer to Pain. "I saw you chasing Sakura. Your guests probably won't be happy. Especially after I tell them that their precious Akatsuki class president is molesting innocent girls. I repeat, get away from Sakura-chan."

Pain took a step closer to Naruto and Naruto did the same. Soon they were in each other's faces and staring one another down like the battle between good and evil depended on it.

Pain narrowed his eyes. "You've always had a problem with stepping into other people's battles, Naruto-kun. Let's not forget what happened to Kushina, huh? Why don't you run along and go play for the guests and I'll pretend this didn't happen so I don't need to smash your face," he threatened.

Naruto flinched but otherwise didn't back down. "Is that a threat?"

"A promise."

Naruto's knee came up and connected with the taller boy's gut. And since it was still sore from when Sakura kneed him there, he fell to the ground and fell hard. But he managed to grab Naruto on the way down and now both of them were tussling in the grass.

Sakura's eyes go wide. "Naruto, Pain, stop it!" She shouted, afraid that Pain would hurt Naruto. Naruto was smaller than him after all. But it looked like regardless of how big Pain was, Naruto was holding his own. Still, she wasn't happy about the fight. "Stop!"

Her shouts seemed to carry into the lobby where a quiet murmur was still going around the room after Naruto's absence. Soon, a crowd was outside and forming a circle around the fighting boys. The chants immediately sounded again, although instead of shouting for a good performance the crowd was now bloodthirsty and looking for a battered loser.

The fight seemed to go on forever before suddenly a figure parted the crowd and stood directly in front of the sprawl. "What the _hell_ is going on here!?" Tsunade boomed, face red and a vein pulsing in her forehead. The crowd hushed and watched as the irate principle stomped over to the still-fighting duo and forced them apart. "Uzumakis! Honestly! Is this the kind of impression you want to give of your family!?" She screamed. "My office! Now!" And grabbing both boys by the collar, she started shoving them towards the office even if school hours were over.

Sakura stood there dumbfounded. Had she just said Uzumakis? She bit her lip and scurried after the trio. _Somebody_ had to defend Naruto. He was just trying to help!

* * *

**[Outside Tsunade's office]**

"Ouch, Sakura-chan!" Naruto griped, grabbing Sakura's wrist and forcing her to stop applying the stinging alchohol pad to his face. It was littered with cuts and bruises, though he didn't have a shiner like Pain did - who was now in the office getting screamed at by Tsunade.

Sakura frowned. "Stop being a baby, Naruto. I have to clean it," she muttered, forcing the pad back to his face. Naruto winced, but let it stay there.

"It hurts."

"It's just a sting."

Naruto whimpered but tried to stop complaining. Even if Sakura was hurting him. "You know, this reminds me of when you were my nurse last year. Remember?"

Sakura nodded. "Mhm. I remember. You were my favorite patient." She smiled to herself and leaned back, looking at her handiwork. She pulled out bandaids and started applying them to the cuts over his body. He'd need _a lot_.

"Thanks for volunteering to fix me up, Sakura-chan."

"No problem, Naruto. I owe you. You got them protecting me from Pain. Who knew he was such a jerk?" she muttered. She plastered a bandaid on Naruto's forehead. Then she covered it with his spikey bangs so it was relatively invisible. "No one'll be able to see this one."

"I should have warned you about that."

"Right, you probably should have. Did you _know_ that you and Pain were from the same family?" she asked abruptly. No sense in beating around the bush. She was curious.

Naruto hesitated but nodded slowly. "...Yeah. He's my second cousin. On my mom's side. We were never very close but my mom used to have him around a lot when we were kids. His parents, her uncle and aunt died when he was kind of small and she felt bad for him. My mom and Pain were close."

Sakura frowned. "You never talk about your mom very much."

Naruto shrugged. "I don't like to."

"Do you not get along with her?"

"She's dead," Naruto said simply. He shifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench they were sitting on and rubbed his forehead. "But we did get along. That's why I don't like talking about her."

"Oh Naruto," Sakura said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. You flinched when Pain mentioned her. He said something about..."

"...'You always had a problem with stepping in the way'," he quoted. "Yeah, low blow."

Sakura scooted closer to him. She could tell he was uncomfortable, so she grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "What did he mean?"

Naruto squeezed her hand back, which made Sakura feel better about them. He scooted just as close as she was and rested his head on her shoulder. "That's a story for another time. Not now. I don't want to talk about it under these... circumstances." He stuck his tongue out.

Sakura nodded. "I understand."

The door to the Principle's office opened and Tsunade emerged gripping Pain's shoulder. "You wait right out here until I can get someone to take you to the local jail. I won't having you stumbling around my campus and marring my school's good name. You can spend the night there until you're sober and I'll arrange for you to be brough back first thing in the morning. I'm giving you a break," she told him. Her eyes darted to Naruto as Pain stumbled to a seat across from Sakura. But he didn't look to have the ability to bully her at the moment, with his black eye and lethargic movements across the small waiting area. So she wasn't afraid. "Naruto, your turn. And I swear I will kick your ass to the next town over if you're even the slightest bit drunk," she threatened. She glanced at Sakura as if just realizing she was there. "You, go to your room. Show's over."

Sakura nodded obediently. "Yes, ma'am."

Naruto stopped her. "Sakura, wait." She did. "There's this thing on Friday. A Function. It'll be my first one without my dad. Do you think that maybe you'd... wanna be my date?" he asked, biting his lip anxiously.

Sakura raised an eyebrow but then smiled softly at him. "Sure thing, Naruto."


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

_**Boom, boom, boom!**_

_Naruto and Kaa-san shot up in their seats around Naruto's big boy table when they heard the loud knock on the front door. Kushina looked down the hall and frowned, then told Naruto to stay where he was as she went to check it out. He did as he was told and picked up the bottle of paint he dropped when the noise scared him. He wasn't worried about his mom. She was the protector, she could handle herself._

_There was a scream and Naruto jumped again, once again dropping the bottle of red paint on the ground. A little bit of gooey mess came out and got on the carpet and Naruto bit his lip, knowing Kaa-san would be mad when she saw it. But he left it on the floor and walked down the hallway to see what had made the noise._

_He saw Kushina on her knees, hands clasped in front of her chest as she stared up at a man that Naruto didn't know. Half of his face was horribly disfigured, scarred like the rings around a tree trunk. His eyes were scary and red and he was glaring at his mom. "What do you mean he isn't here?" He had something like a knife in his hand and was pointing it at Kushina._

_Naruto got scared. "Mom!" he called._

_Kushina's head flashed towards her little pride and joy. "Naruto-kun, go back in the other room. Mommy's going to be okay, alright honey? Go finish your paints."_

_But Naruto knew better. He knew that knives only hurt people and if the man was pointing a knife at his mom then he wanted to hurt her. And he wouldn't let him. He _wouldn't.

_"Get away from her!" he screamed, running at the man. He got within reach of his pants' leg before he was snatched up by the back of his shirt. He heard Kushina scream for him as he was pressed against the rough chest of the evil man and the blade was pressed to his cheek._

_"Where... Is... Minato?" The man growled. Naruto winced as the blade was dragged roughly across his face._

_Terrified tears began coursing down Kushina's cheeks. "I-I don't know. He left this morning and - "_

_"Mom!" Naruto screamed as a symmetrical line was carved into his face on the opposite cheek. _

_"You'd better figure it out soon because the next slash is across his throat," the man threatened._

_"Please, don't touch him. I-I'll call Minato, okay? I'll make him come home. Just please don't hurt my baby anymore," Kushina begged._

_The blade touched Naruto's skin again a little below the still bleeding mark he just made. "Hurry it up. Every thirty seconds that passes, I'm carving a new scar in Naru-chan's pretty little features." He said the adorable nickname mockingly._

_Kushina nodded vigorously and looked hesitant to leave Naruto alone with the man but quickly dashed into the kitchen to call her husband. Before she would return, Naruto would have earned three more bleeding lines. His face was coated in fresh blood and hot, salty tears._

_"He's on his way," Kushina said shakily. She held her hands out, body shaking, for her son. "P-Please, let me hold my son."_

_The man dropped Naruto like a sack of potatoes and through his tears the little blonde was able to find himself in his mother's arms. "Kaa-san," he weeped, gripping her tightly._

_Kushina rubbed his back. "Shh, it's alright, Naruto-kun, my sweet little boy. Everything will be alright. Daddy will be here soon, my darling," she whispered. "Everything will be alright."_

_The man's voice echoed from where he still stood towering above them. "Now, Now, Kushina. Don't make promises to the little guy that you can't keep."_

**_BANG!_**

* * *

**[Dream over]**

Naruto shot upright, his body shaking and breaking out into a cold sweat. He looked around the dim room to see that his roommates were all sleeping soundly and undisturbed by his tossing and turning. He bit his lip and got out of bed, tiptoeing over to Sasuke who he normally went to when he had nightmares. But he paused right before shaking him awake and thought better of it. Instead he went to his own dresser drawer, retrieved a photo or two, and raced out of his room.

* * *

**[Across the hall]**

Sakura was sound asleep when she first heard the timid knock at the door. At first she thought she dreamed it and resolved to go back to sleep but the little noise persisted for about five minutes off and on. Until finally she got out of bed and stumbled angrily towards the door. Someone had _better _be dying or bleeding internally.

But when she opened the door she was shocked to see a trembling Naruto standing in the hallway clad in a pair of orange and green frog boxers, a black T-shirt, and a black pajama hat with an angry looking face on it.

"Naruto? What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked, trying to sound annoyed while hiding the blush on her face at seeing Naruto in his boxers. She hadn't really spoken to him since he asked her out two days ago and wasn't expecting the next sight she saw of him to be him in his underwear.

"It's late, I know. But can I come in for just a second? I wanna talk to you."

"My roommates are asleep."

"Please? We can go in your bathroom or something. But I _really_ need to talk to you. It's important."

Curiosity beat out aggravation at this point. She wanted to know what was so important that he had to come visit _right then_. So she sighed and stepped out of the way so he could come in the room. And for his part, he was courteous about her sleeping roomies and tiptoed all the way to the bathroom on the other side of the room. Skaura shut and locked the door and followed him.

She found him seated on the edge of the bathtub, staring at two pictures in his hands. "What are those?" she asked.

Naruto looked up at her and slowly turned the pictures around so she could see. One was of a smiling blue eyed woman with shocking red hair and a giant grin on her face. It didn't take Sakura long to realize that she was pregnant in the picture - she was _huge! _And she always used to think that Naruto got his eye color from his dad but when she saw this woman's eyes she instantly found that the deep, bottomless blue of Naruto's matched almost perfectly with this woman's. She must have been his mom. The other picture was a photo of her, eyes squinted shut as she laughed heartily in mid-run, probably being chased by someone out of the picture. It was an ugly shot in her mind and she wondered why he had it.

Before she could ask, he said, "I usually keep them in my wallet side by side but ever since I got back I just left them in my sock drawer. They were buried pretty deep under a bunch of tube socks." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here, Naruto?" she asked. She didn't know why stalker pictures of her in his underwear drawer was so important that he had to stop by in the middle of the night.

Naruto looked up and for a second she thought that his eyes were shining. "I need someone to talk to and you're the only person I could think of," he whispered softly.

She couldn't say no to that face. She sat down beside him and touched his shoulder. "Okay then. Shoot."

"You have to swear that nothing I say to you will be said to anyone else. Not Hinata, not Ino, not Tenten. Okay?"

"Okay Naruto, I swear."

The blonde haired blue eyed rockstar inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. "I don't know where to even start. So I guess from the beginning's good enough... My dad isn't doing too well."

"Minato-sensei?"

"Do I have any other dads that I don't know about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He sighed. "Yeah, him. He can't take care of the business on his own anymore. And the way everyone's talking, he's not going to get better."

Sakura instantly felt sympathy for him. "Oh Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry," she tried to console him.

He waved her off. "Ever since I've been back Tsunade-baa-chan and Ero-sen - I mean, _Lady Tsunade and Jiraiya-sama_ have been trying to groom me into the perfect businessman. But I can't even tie a stupid tie. How am I supposed to be half as great as my dad is when I can't even hope to _dress_ the part?" He buried his fingers in his hair. "I mean my dad's company owns half of Konoha. He's a _shark_! I'm... a guppy." He sunk into the empty tub miserably. "I just feel like I'm going to fail and I'm going to let everyone down. I'm already starting to lose sleep over disappointing people."

"Because you can't tie a tie?"

"That doesn't seem like a bad sign to you?"

Sakura smirked and shook her head at him. She got up from the tub and left the bathroom. Naruto sat up in the tub and looked towards the door just as she returned and shut it behind her. In her hand was a navy blue tie like the kind that they wore with their uniforms.

"What are you doing with that, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura held it out so he could see it as she plopped down on the tub's edge again. "Sit up," she ordered. Warily, Naruto did as he was told and climbed back on the tub's edge. Sakura wrapped the tie around his neck and effortlessly tied a windsor knot into it. "If that's all that's got you worried, I'll tie your ties for you whenever you need it. I don't mind. That way you can focus on more important things." She smiled, sitting back and admiring her handiwork. "And maybe this will take enough off your plate so that you can relax. You've been off the last couple of days."

Naruto looked down at the knot in wonder. "How do you..."

"I taught myself when I was younger. I figured it would come in handy one day when I would need to do it for my, erm, future husband." Her cheeks flushed.

Naruto smiled, scooting closer to her until their outer thighs touched. "I'm sorry you had to waste all that practice on me."

Sakura flushed deeper and looked at him from beneath her lashes. "Don't worry about it. Who knows? Maybe it won't be a waste," she whispered. She took a chance and scooted closer to him, too. They couldn't have been closer if they molded their bodies together.

Naruto dipped his head so that they were eye - and mouth- level with one another. "You think so?" She could taste his spicy ramen-flavored breath against her lips and they hadn't even met with his... yet.

She nodded ever so slightly. "I'm pretty sure that I know so," she whispered. And before she could know what was happening Naruto's lips connected so fiercely with hers that she lost the ability to breathe. She gasped and tugged on the collar of his T shirt to steady herself on the tub's edge and ended up pulling hard enough to send the both of them tumbling into the bathtub. Naruto landed on top of her, both of their legs hanging over the edge of the tub but neither of them could care less.

Eventually they broke apart. Naruto sat up on his upper arms and stared at Sakura who was blushing just about as much as he felt that he was.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked breathlessly, sitting up on her elbows as well.

Naruto rolled over to give Sakura room to get up if she wanted to. "Momentary lapse of self control?" he joked, recalling how the moment's after their first real kiss went.

Sakura giggled. "Shut up," she laughed. She folded her hands beneath her head, in no hurry to get out of the tub. "Hey Naruto-kun, how'd your tour go?" She hadn't had a chance to ask him before, what with them avoiding one another like the plague.

Naruto smiled. He laid back down beside her and began telling her about Bowling for Ramen's first gig in this sketchy bar on the outskirts of Konoha and how he used the pay from that show to buy his new favorite pair of orange and black checkered chucks. She listened and interrupted here and there to ask for more details. They talked like that - like they were best friends again - for the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N This chapter kind of sucked, I know. It really wasn't even supposed to end here but I don't see myself continuing it for a while. But I didn't want to leave you hanging for an update. **

**And you'll understand why I changed the story about Naruto's whiskers soon enough. It was a personal preference. Again, sorry for the confusion.**

**Comments, questions, concerns? Review! Or follow if you like the story.**


	9. Chapter 9

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Sakura was awoken with a splash of icy cold water hitting her face like rain. She sputtered and shot upright, looking around only to come face to face with Ino's bright eyes.

"Ugh! Ino-pig, what's the big idea?" she shrieked at her, shaking off the water once the "rain' stopped.

The platinum blonde girl smirked. "Enjoy your night in the tub guys?" she asked smugly.

Sakura looked to her left and couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed Naruto before. Had they fallen asleep in the tub together? They must have. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Shut it, Ino-pig."

Naruto sputtered and stood up, his lined cheeks also tinted red with blush. He climbed out of the tub and Sakura became embarrassed all over again when she was reminded of Naruto's half nakedness.

The only guy in the room seemed to realize this too and tore a towel off of the nearby rack, wrapping it around himself. "U-Uh, thanks for the wake up, Ino! I forgot I had to meet my dad this morning. I-I'll see you tonight, Sakura-chan," he rushed. He pecked Sakura's lips briskly and ran out of the bathroom like a bat out of hell, leaving Sakura alone with Ino.

The pinkette quickly grabbed a towel for herself. She wrapped it around herself and glared at Ino who insisted on looking at her as if the dumb blonde caught her doing something naughty. "What are you looking at, Pig?" she snapped.

Ino didn't even let the insult bother her. She crossed her arms over her chest, still looking smug. "So. You and Naruto again, huh?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and walked out of the bathroom. "Don't start!"

**XXX**

Naruto sat in class for only the second time that week. Apparently being a young tycoon meant that class was relatively optional. At least on days when Tsunade wanted to coach him on how to act. She'd been a little more high-strung than usual with the tonight's Function coming up. He was a little surprised he hadn't been summoned to her office that morning actually.

"Uzumaki, listen up," Kakashi shouted from the front of the room.

Naruto sat up straight and cleared his throat, just as a girl behind him said dreamily, "Kakashi-sensei, haven't you heard? That's not his name. _That_'_s _Namikaze-san, Minato-sensei's son."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, or looked like he narrowed his eyes, beneath dark shaded sunglasses. "It says on my roster that he's Uzumaki Naruto. So I will call him that until his records are updated."

"But - " the girl protested.

"No buts. Unless Naruto wants to be called something else?" he urged, looking in the blonde's direction.

Was he baiting him? Did Tsunade put his teachers up to this to see if Naruto would stick to his promise to bury the Uzumaki title? He frowned. "Actually Kakashi-sensei, my classmate is right. My name is Namikaze, not Uzumaki."

Kakashi's fierce gaze dimmed beneath the shades. "Alright then. I'll contact your father about changing your name on the school roster."

Naruto bit his lip to keep himself from protesting. In his mind he imagined taking is mother's name and burying it to never be uncovered again. "O-Okay," he muttered under his breath, looking down at his desk.

**XXX**

Sasuke was missing school. For reasons that only his father knew, he'd called his two sons back to the family home despite the fact that Sasuke had classes that he probably needed to attend. He'd already missed a year of school. If his Father was so adamant about making him like Itachi, why was he enforcing something like this?

But whatever the reason, Sasuke now sat in the foyer with Itachi, who was still dressed in his police gear. And he already had a star. What on _Earth_ could Itachi have done in his brief months as an officer to earn himself a star? Overachieving bastard.

"I saw you on TV, little brother," Itachi tried to conversate.

Sasuke was grumpy from the long car ride to the family home. His family just _had _to live isolated on the very outskirts of Konoha. Even Namikaze Minato lived amongst the people! So, needless to say, he wasn't in the mood to conversate. Not even with his dear older brother. "How did you find the time in your busy schedule?" he muttered, throwing his head back over the back of the loveseat and covering his eyes with his arm.

"You're a little hard to miss. You guys were everywhere. Some of my squad have daughters that are absolutely in love with you. If you could hear them squeal when they came into the station and their father's told them I was your big brother - "

"I think I can imagine it, Itachi. Rockstar, remember? I heard it enough," he muttered, sitting up straight again when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Finally his parents decided to grace them with their presence.

Itachi didn't seem to mind that their mom and dad were entering the room. "Still, it was pretty cool. For once the girls were squealing at _me_ for being related to _you_. It's a lot different from high school, huh, little brother?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply only to have Fugaku interrupt. "Life isn't about girls and popularity anymore, Itachi. It's about success and recognition. Leaving such a great legacy behind you that people from around the world fear the name Uchiha."

Itachi instantly changed his outer persona. The joking older brother that he'd been in front of Sasuke disappeared and was replaced by an obedient young officer. Something in Itachi always changed whenever Fugaku entered a room. He wasn't the same. "Yes sir."

Fugaku and his wife, Mikoto, sat down together on the sofa opposite their two sons in love seats. Their mother didn't look pleased but Fugaku had a smug air about himself. "Thank you for coming, boys," he began.

Sasuke nodded, imitating Itachi's perfect posture in the chair. However, it didn't seem as perfect as his brother's. "What's this all about?" he asked.

Fugaku frowned that Sasuke's voice was the one to ask the first question. His eyes flickered to his eldest son's face, which was impassive as he waited for the answer. Fugaku made a note to drill Itachi on his reaction skills later on. He glanced at his younger child and cleared his throat. "I have decided that it's time for Sasuke to get ready to enter the ranks of the police force. I want you, Itachi, to train Sasuke in everything he may need in order to graduate the Police Academy early. Clear?"

Itachi scratched the back of his head. "With all due respect to you and Sasuke, I don't think that is such a good idea. Sasuke-kun is still in school. He should be focusing on graduating next year, not catching bad guys. Allow him to have a life, Father."

Fugaku's eyes flicked to his prized possession, his prodigious son. "This _is_ his life, Itachi. He is an Uchiha and he will live up to that name or not deserve it. Am I understood?" Now his eyes flicked to Sasuke.

The youngest Uchiha shrunk back in his chair in shock. Did he just make a reference to _disowning _him? What had he done to deserve that!? He felt as if he'd been blindsided. He grit his teeth. "What am I supposed to do about school, Tou-san?" he muttered.

"Itachi was able to balance school and training and so will you. Every afternoon after school a car will pick you up and bring you to the compound. You will warm up by yourself until Itachi finishes with his shift at the station. Then he will arrive and work you through that day's training. When you are finished, the car will take you back to school and you _will_ finish your homework for the next day. On weekends the car will pick you up before 10 AM and return you on Sunday night. Clear?"

Sasuke felt beads of sweat already growing on his face at the mere idea of his rigorouse schedule. He glanced at his mom for help but she only met him with an apologetic smile. She couldn't do anything about it. Beaten, he looked down at his fists as they clenched in his lap. "What about my band?" he found himself asking without really thinking about it.

"I thought that went without saying. You will quit your band. It has no use to you." Sasuke looked up and was met with his father's smirk. "You're both dismissed. I'll see you tonight."

**XXX**

That night Naruto sat on his bed, looking at the suit Tsunade had had dropped off for him earlier that day. It was an all black tux with a bright blue bowtie and cufflinks in the shape of whirlpools. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to put any of the accessories on. This was probably a test by Tsunade to see if he was able to do it. Well, he failed already without trying.

He sighed. This was all becoming too much. He didn't know if he could do this for the rest of his life. Still, it was for his dad, so he got dressed in the suit and walked across the hall barefoot with his tie in one hand and the cuflinks in the other. He knocked on Sakura's door with his elbow and waited for her to open it.

A few seconds later the door slid open and his flower appeared in the doorway in a beautiful sleaveless green dress that made her eyes glow with a black shawl wrapped around her bare shoulders. Like the blonde, she was barefoot and trying to put on her earrings.

"Oh, Naruto-kun! You're early. And barefoot. Where's your shoes?" she asked, finishing with her earrings. They were little diamonds hanging down from her lobes. Naruto simply held out his hands to show the tie and cufflinks. Sakura giggled and let him inside, shutting the door behind him. "Alright, I'll help you. But you have to help me with my necklace when I'm done, okay?"

Naruto nodded and smiled as she took his items and stood on tiptoe to tie his tie around his neck. "You look beautiful tonight, Sakura-chan," he complimented her.

She smiled and blushed. "Thank you. You look handsome." She finished with the tie and grabbed his wrists to put the cufflinks on him. "These are pretty cool. Did you father give them to you?"

"Tsunade did. She said they belonged to my mom's family. So their mine, I guess. Where're your roommates? Are they not coming tonight?"

"Oh, they don't want to be around me right now," Sakura said with an evil glint in her eye. She remembered her roommates' taunts after Ino found her in the tub with Naruto that morning and the threats she gave her friends if they didn't knock it off. They were hiding in Hinata's little sister's room to change for the event instead.

Naruto noticed the look and figured he didn't wanna know. "Uh, alright then." He lifted his hands and smiled at the cuffs. "You're really good at this, Sakura-chan."

"Don't forget your promise, Naruto-kun," she reminded him, holding up the diamond necklace to him. Naruto nodded and turned her around as he went to fasten the jewelry. "So, um, my parents and I are going to dinner around the time the function ends tonight."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, even if she couldn't see it. "Yeah?"

"Well... I was wondering if maybe you'd want to... go. To dinner. With me and them." She cleared her throat nervously.

Naruto finished and she turned to look at him. He looked confused. "You want me to meet your parents?"

"Y-You don't have to! It was just a suggestion!"

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, let's go to dinner with your parents. I wanna meet my girlfriend's mom and dad." He smiled.

"G-Girlfriend?" she repeated. She hadn't thought that Naruto would want to make them official so quickly. But she wasn't complaining. She smiled and threw her arms around his neck, leaning up and kissing him.

* * *

**A/N AAAAAAAAAAAnd I'll end it there. Next chapter, THE FUNCTION! And we all know how well that ended last time :) Hehehehe.**

**Oh, look, new page-breaker-slider-scene-changing-thingies! I like the X's more here. Booya!**

**And I got Narusaku together. YAY!**

**Alright. I'm done here. Comments? Questions? Concerns!? REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any of the songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Sakura slid her heels on that matched her dress and they both went back across the hall so that Naruto could finish getting his shoes on. They entered his room and were met with the sight of his roommates finishing with their own dressing activities. The Uchiha was the most decent, finishing up with tying his bowtie around his neck. The top few buttons on his shirt were still undone but there was nothing that was _too_ embarrassing. Well, not for a normal person. But no one accused the spare heir of the Uchiha family to be _normal_. But apart from him, the appearance of a female in the room was shocking and embarrassing to everyone involved - including Sakura.

"Hey, Dobe, ever heard of knocking!?" the Uchiha shouted.

Kiba threw a drumstick at the blonde's head. "You could have warned us, dumbass!"

"Get her out of here!" Neji shouted menacingly.

Naruto gulped and started back towards the other direction, leading away Sakura who was covering her eyes and blushing like a tomato. Just before the door closed, Naruto was hit in the back of his head with both of his shoes and a wadded of ball of his socks. Needless to say, Sakura had to lead a dazed Naruto down to the lobby to wait for the limo.

**XXX**

About an hour later they were joined by Naruto's roommates, none of them resembling the chaotic mess of teenage boys they'd been before. Sasuke's hair was neatly brushed into its normal duckbutt doo, but if anyone could pull off his look, it was him. His suit looked like it was tailored just for his body type and showed off his broad shoulders pleasantly. Neji decided to let his long hair hang casually down his back for the evening even though in the past he'd decided to tie it up for formal occassions. His suit was white with a black tie, which strangely complimented his nearly-gray eyes. Next was Kiba, dressed in a regular black tuxedo and black bow tie, though his family's insignia was on his pocket.

Sakura raised an eye at the doggish boy. "Kiba? You're coming?"

Kiba sweatdropped. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, because... well..."

"Because your family is trash," Neji supplied for the pinkette. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised they're letting you mongrels in the place." It was no secret that Neji wasn't fond of Kiba because he had a relationship with Hinata. It was a wonder how they managed to live with one another without murdering each other.

Kiba narrowed his eyes menacingly at the Hyuga. "Tough talk coming from the Hyuga family's top reject."

"Do you wish to come a little closer and say that to my face, Dogboy?"

"As a matter of fact - "

Naruto stood up and got in between the fighting boys. Apparently he was already used to breaking up fights between them. "Tone it down, guys. We don't want a fight in the paper tomorrow morning. 'Konoha's Top Heirs Caught In All-Out Brawl," he mocked as if he was reading a newspaper headline.

Sasuke tucked his hands in his pockets and raised a dark eyebrow. "I didn't even know you knew how to use the term 'brawl' correctly in a sentence, Dobe."

"Teme..." Naruto growled warningly.

Sakura instantly felt bad for being the catalyst for the argument. She opened her mouth to take back her earlier statement to Kiba when, thankfully, Hinata decided to make her appearance.

Kiba instantly stopped his bickering with Neji to watch her approach. "Woah," he breathed at the sight of her. Which was an appropriate response. The dark haired heiress wore a single strapped floor-length black dress that clung to her developed curves with a slit that ran up the right side and stopped just below her thigh. Her shoes were silver strapped heels that matched the dazzling necklace that she wore around her neck and the tennis bracelet around her wrist. All in all, the young heiress was stunning.

Sakura smiled at Hinata. "Pleasure of you to show up," she taunted her jokingly.

Hinata blushed slightly. "I-I'm sorry. I got held up with my younger sister. She needed help getting ready. She's never worn makeup before and - "

"Where _is_ my darling little cousin?" Neji interrupted her, looking around.

Hinata gave him a little glare for being rude but answered him anyway. "Father arranged for her to be picked up in a separate car. There are some minor details he wants to go over with her."

"Things that the two of us can't hear?"

Hinata's face suddenly darkened. "Such is the life of the less favored, Neji-nii-san," she muttered. Naruto, overhearing her, instantly became solemn since he knew what her situation was at the moment. Just then a black limo with the Hyuga insignia on it pulled up to the curb, followed by one with an Uzumaki insignia on its flag, an Uchiha limo, and then... Kiba's mom.

While Kiba was blushing and trying not to seem embarrassed, Naruto was confused about the car that was sent for them. He was sure that his dad would have chosen to get a car that represented them as the Namikaze family, not his mother's family. But he still took Sakura's hand and waved goodbye to his friends as he approached the car.

The door swung open, revealing Minato seated in the back. "Sorry I'm late, Naru-chan! Had to stock the mini fridge with sparkling cider. I know how you love sparking cider and I couldn't have my precious boy riding without it!"

Naruto blushed deep red. "What the hell are you doing here!?" he shouted loud enough to scare away a few birds.

**XXX**

**[The Function Building]**

Naruto helped Sakura out of the car and continued to hold her hand as they approached the building. When his father began to walk ahead, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry this thing is going to be so boring. I'm sure dinner with your parents will be much more fun."

"Well, while we're on the subject, I apologize in advance for any crushed expectations that you have."

Suddenly, Minato appeared beside the couple with an annoyed expression on his face. "Did I just overhear you two talking about dinner with Sakura's _parents_?" he asked in the creepy voice that still gave Naruto nightmares sometimes.

Naruto's eyes got wide, realizing where this was going. "O-Oh, it's nothing like a formal dinner, Tou-san. Actually, it was last minute. Sakura-chan just invited me - "

"You're having dinner with _her_ parents before me? Naru-chan where is the loyalty? I _raised_ _you_ from an infant and protected you from all harm and _this_ is how you repay me?" Fat tears rolled down Minato's eyes like cascading waterfalls. "How could you?"

Sakura nervously moved behind Naruto as he tried to stammer out an excuse to his father. "H-hey dad, it's nothing like how you're making it, I swear. It was a spur of the moment thing, that's all. You, me, and Sakura can have dinner tomorrow night."

"They still would have met you before I met Sakura-chan!"

A vein popped in Naruto's forehead. "You were her _teacher_ last year! Of course you met her!"

"Not as your girlfriend and not over a nice home cooked meal!"

"You don't cook, Tou-san!"

"I'd have the chefs whip something up then!"

Naruto facepalmed and grabbed Sakura's hand, walking away. "We'll have dinner at the house tomorrow night, Tou-san. There's nothing to do about it now," he called over his shoulder.

**XXX**

Sasuke stood alone in a crowd of people, looking around for one of his friends. He was beyond annoyed that he was forced to arrive alone by Fugaku who insisted that the Uchiha looked more powerful when they were isolated. Which was a load of crap to him since right now he just looked like the loser who doesn't have anyone to interact with, not a powerful Uchiha.

He sighed and grabbed a drink off one of the trays the waiters were toting about. He knew his dad wouldn't approve of him indulging in alcohol so early into the night but he'd need it to get through the event with the way things had started out. He should have not shown up and just begged Itachi to cover for him in regards to their dad. He sighed, too lated now.

He took a sip of the glass just as a snicker sounded behind him.

"A little early to drink, isn't it? Even some of the old drunkards aren't indulging yet. The thing just started," a female voice mocked him.

He whirled around and barely managed to not spill his drink as he was met with the eyes of the girl who he bumped into in the hallway. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "What, are you stalking me now?"

The corner of the girl's lips tilted up in a smirk. "Don't flatter yourself, Uchiha. I happen to have been forced to come here, too. Just like you, it looks like."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I was an Uchiha?"

"You have that arrogant Uchiha way of holding yourself. Plus you've been standing alone for about fifteen minutes now, which is signature for the Uchiha. And since you have a baby face and I'm pretty sure that you aren't Itachi, I deduce that your name is Sasuke."

He rolled his eyes. "Powerful detective work. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to leave before you try to guess my weight." He turned to go.

The girl grabbed his arm and stopped him. "What, you aren't going to try to guess who I am? How very impolite of you. Of all things I never would have pegged the Uchiha as a rude bunch of people."

Sasuke turned to her to see that she wore a smirk on her face. Obviously she was playing him. But since he didn't have anything else to do and standing alone seemed like a fate worse than death, he decided to toy with her, too. "Alright then, I'll play. What with your powerful intuition skills, I guess that your a Yamanaka."

"Wrong."

Sasuke smirked. He figured. She lacked the blonde hair of the family. That guess was just a test run. "Wrong? Okay then. Let me take a minute to study you properly then."

**XXX**

Naruto sat across from Sakura at one of the tables, holding her hands in his.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?" he asked, rubbing circles in her palms.

She pulled one of her hands back and rested her cheek in her palm. "From what you told me last night, your dad shoudn't be here. So why did he decide to make an appearance?" she asked.

Naruto sat up straight, releasing her hands. "Oh, it's so it doesn't seem like such a huge leap when he steps down completely. He's allowing for a slow transition. Y'know, slowly giving me more responsibilities. I doubt he'll show up to the next one." He shrugged.

Sakura opened her mouth to offer words of encouragement, but was interrupted as Minato plopped down beside the two of them.

"So, Sakura, what are your goals in life?" he asked.

Naruto's vein pulsed again. "Tou-san, what are you doing?"

"Having dinner conversation with Sakura."

"I said we would have dinner with you tomorrow," he bit out.

"But why wait when there's a perfectly free moment right now?"

"Tou-san!"

**XXX**

Sasuke leaned against the balcony railing with the mystery girl who he still couldn't manage to identify. "Is your family even from Konoha?" he asked her with mock exasperation.

She smiled over the rim of her glass at him. "Yup," she answered.

He shook his head. "Inuzuka?" he guessed.

"Nope."

"I figured. You don't have the weird face tattoos. Uhh... "You were pretty smart before. Are you a Nara?" Even if the Nara weren't a generally wealthy family and the only reason Shikamaru was enrolled in Konoha's boarding school was because of a scholarship, it was worth a shot.

She scoffed. "At least use common sense, Uchiha. Come on, what families from Konoha are here?"

"Aburame?"

"No. Ew, I hate bugs. And everyone from that family is a creepy bug researcher."

Sasuke threw up his hands. "Hyuga?" he asked in desperation.

The girl smiled. "Yup."

"What?"

"Yup, I'm a Hyuga."

He smiled. "Sweet. Part of the puzzle is solved. Okay, main branch or leftovers?" he asked.

"Nuh uh uh, you have to guess."

"Secondary branch."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a secondary branch member?"

Sasuke looked sheepish. "To be honest, I can't tell the difference between the two branches. You all look the same to me. But if I had to guess, I pick that. Because you don't seem like you have a stick up your ass like the other main members."

The Hyuga girl rolled her eyes. "Does Hinata seem that way to you?"

"She's different."

"Well, I guess I am, too. Because you were wrong."

Sasuke blushed. "G-Gomen."

She held up a hand. "Shut up and keep guessing."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're pretty young."

"Not much younger than you."

"Young enough. You're a member of the main family, meaning one of Hiashi's daughters."

"And...?"

"And you're not Hinata..."

"So...?"

Suddenly the door to the balcony opened and Neji appeared in the doorway. He looked shocked to see Sasuke and her together, but quickly fixed his eyes on the young Hyuga. "Hanabi-sama, your father requests your company. He sent me to find you. Have you been out here the whole time?"

Hanabi pouted, giving Sasuke an apologetic look. "You ruined the game, Neji," she complained, but walked in the direction of the doors. She looked at the Uchiha boy over her shoulder. "Sorry, Sasuke-_kun_. Duty calls." And then she and Neji disappeared back into the building.

Sasuke stood staring after her, slightly shocked at how their game came to a sudden halt. "Hanabi," Sasuke breathed out, tasting the name on his lips.

* * *

**A/N I don't have much to say... This chapter took a super duper long time to write and was a PAIN. But here you go :) Also, I think ten chapters is a good enough point to stop rapidly updating without a purpose. So the updates should be more regular and less sporadic :)**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Hanabi made her way with Neji to her father, who was clearly schmoozing with Konoha's ancient mayor, Hiruzen. She frowned, wondering what her father needed her for. Was he bragging again?

When she reached him, her father brought her in with one arm and gestured to the old man. "Sarutobi-sama, this is my youngest daughter, Hanabi. Hanabi, this is Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Hanabi restrained the urge to roll her eyes. She already knew who the old fart was. _Everyone_ in Konoha did. He was the most popular guy around. "Nice to meet you," she said respectfully, curtsying.

Hiruzen looked only slightly amused by her manners. "Likewise."

Hiashi continued on with his bragging spell. "Did you know Hanabi got accepted into Konoha Boarding School this year? Full academic scholarship. Even if she didn't need it, I'm very proud of her." He shook her playfully like a loving father might, but Hanabi knew better. Hiashi didn't do anything 'playfully'. It was just an act to convince Hiruzen that he saw her as more than a tool.

Hiashi nodded. "I heard. A very fine accomplishment, young Hanabi," he mumbled in that odd way that only old people could achieve.

Hanabi nodded and began zoning out, aware of where this conversation was going. She was already bored with it. So instead of listening, she let her eyes wander around the room as she tried to guess who the big important people were and then identify some of the others. She enjoyed people-watching. It was so much more unpredictable than the conversations her father made her participate in.

Suddenly, something Hiruzen said made Hanabi alert. "Now, now, Hiashi. It isn't wise to act with so much favor on one child and then neglect the other. I should know. Besides, you never know which child will be the one to excel in the end."

Hiashi's face became solemn at Hiruzen's hint towards his own two sons. "I apologize for reminding you of your troubles, Sarutobi-sama. Please tell me, how is your grandson?"

Hiruzen waved off the apology. "Don't worry about it. And Konohamaru is doing fine. He just got accepted into Konoha Boarding School as well. Though with all the troubles going on, he had to start late. Next Tuesday is his first day."

"Sounds wonderful. Hanabi-chan, did you hear that? Maybe you could volunteer to show young Konohamaru around?" Which translated as, 'I want you to get in close with the honorable grandson as soon as you spot him'.

Hanabi sighed, understanding the double meaning. "I would love to, Father."

**XXX**

"This is me and Sakura-chan's first date since I've been back, Dad! Go away, you're ruining it!"

"I just want to get to know her!"

"Get lost!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura sweatdropped at the arguing blondes and rested her head on the table. She checked the clock across the room and realized with a start that they'd been there for an hour. Soon she and Naruto would have to leave if they wanted to be on time to dinner with her parents. But she doubted Minato would let that happen unless he got his dinner first. She sighed, knowing she was about to regret this but... "So, Minato-sensei, what was Naruto-kun like as a baby?" she asked in a very dinner-coversation-like tone.

Minato paused in the pleading argument he was in the middle of with his son. He turned to Sakura, grinning wide. "I'm glad you ask! He was the most adorable child you'd ever seen. Want to see baby pictures?"

And so it began.

**XXX**

**[Back at School]**

Ino sat curled up on her bed with Shikamaru as one of their favorite movies played on the TV. Well, one of _her _favorite movies. It was a total chickflick but it was the only chickflick that Shikamaru tolerated so she had declared it as 'their movie'.

Shikamaru suddenly paused the movie and got up, stretching his lazy limbs. "This is a drag," he complained, heading towards the door.

Ino sat upright, glaring at his retreating back. "Where do you think you're going? It's our movie night, Shika!"

"I'm going in my room to do something more worth my time. I never liked watching movies anyway. It's like being asleep while you're conscious." The door shut behind him.

Ino groaned and got up, swinging open the door and following him across the hall. If he thought he was going to get away from her that easily, he had another thing coming. "Well then, I figure with as much time as you spend asleep, you'd actually like movies," she grumbled, shutting his room door behind her.

Shikamaru walked over to his computer, shrugging his skinny shoulders. "I don't like that kind of sleeping. You don't dream."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be so deep with you?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. "Would you prefer it if I was stupid and shallow like some of those other guys you've dated?"

The platinum blonde narrowed her eyes. "I don't date stupid and shallow guys."

"Sure you don't."

"I date you. You're not stupid or shallow."

"I'm the exception, not the rule."

"Dammit, Shika, knock it off with all the damn sayings!"

**XXX**

Sakura watched the clock and felt like the seconds were turning into hours. Yes, she found Minato-sensei to be amusing sometimes (and kinda hot) and she liked him because he was Naruto's dad, but she was growing more and more annoyed with his antics as time went by. And looking over at Naruto, he was getting pretty annoyed, too. He was scowling with his head resting in the palm of his hand, staring off into space while his dad rambled on about Naruto's childhood.

Suddenly, the young lead singer sat up straight. "Hey, Sakura-chan, want to come get something to drink with me?" he asked, smiling so widely that she thought it might crack his face.

Confused, she nodded. "Sure." They both stood up and Naruto grabbed her hand, leading her away despite the protests of Minato behind them.

Once they were out of Minato's sight, Naruto ducked around a corner and pulled Sakura against him. "Sorry. I just wanted some alone time with you. It was beginning to feel like the last time you and I were at a function together. And that was hardly fun," he said with a chuckle.

Sakura smiled and leaned up to kiss his nose. "Yeah well, it couldn't have been all bad. You got signed then, didn't you?"

"Yeah. But the idea of being away from you for so long kind of scared the hell out of me," Naruto admitted, looking sheepish. "Imagine finally getting the girl you've been crushing on since you've met her and then having to leave her after your very first date. Heartbreaking kinda."

Sakura smiled softly at him, this time leaning up to kiss his lips. Naruto's own mouth twitched in a smile and he pulled her against him, deepening it. Sakura sighed, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing his back against the wall.

When they separated, they were both smiling dopily. "What was that for?" Naruto asked breathily.

Sakura shrugged. "Because you're a sweetheart." She turned her head and searched for the clock she'd been watching. "It's just about... time to go. Ready to meet my mom and dad?" she asked, smiling.

Naruto instantly looked nervous. "Well I uh, I um, I guess so?" he stammered, holding his hand out for hers. It was sweaty. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Who's hands got sweaty that fast?

She kissed his shoulder, which was as far as she could reach without standing on tiptoe again. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. They'll love you."

**XXX**

Minato was sitting alone, rubbing his forehead and waiting for Sakura and Naruto to get back to the table. He hadn't even gotten to tell Sakura about Naruto's constant temper tantrums that only he, his father, could calm down before Naruto pulled her away for drinks. They'd been gone for five minutes and if they didn't return soon, he'd lose his train of thought!

He sighed, resting his head in his hand and pouting. Suddenly, he heard someone pull out a chair and sit down at the table beside him. He grinned, sitting his head up and expecting to see Naruto sitting there, but instead meeting a pair of eyes that were such a shade of blue that they began to look purple.

Minato frowned. "Nagato. What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked in an overly polite tone. Despite the fact that Nagato was probably one of the last surviving members of his endangered family, he still didn't exactly like the kid. He was a bad influence for Naruto, and was always spreading mischief and discord in the minds of others just because his own life was in shambles. Which is why he didn't let Naruto around the kid after Kushina passed away. Not to mention those damned piercings he wore. He wasn't even dressed up for this event, opting to wear a black T shirt with a red cloud in the middle and jeans.

"Let's spare each other the pleasantries, Minato. I know you don't like me. But unfortunately for you, I don't give a damn. I want to talk about Naruto."

Minato's face instantly darkened. "Let's not." He stood up to relocate to another table.

"Sit down, Minato," Nagato commanded. "Or I'll start telling some things that could ruin you forever."

Minato narrowed his eyes at him. "What could you possibly have on me?" he asked, tone dangerous.

Nagato smirked. "You're not as squeaky clean as you'd like everyone to believe, Minato, and you know I'm the only one who knows it. I wonder what 'Naru-chan' will think when he finds out what you did. That you're the one who~"

"That's enough, Nagato." Minato continued to glare, but plopped back down in his seat. "I see you haven't changed. You're still the little coward who hides his face behind his hair."

Nagato smirked. "If you haven't noticed, Minato, you can see every inch of my face." He stood up, tucking his hands into his pocket.

"It isn't your face I'm looking into, Nagato. It's Yahiko's," Minato snapped back. "You're still afraid to show who you are."

The smile on Nagato's face disappeared, replaced with a scowl. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a piece of paper, tossing it at Minato's face. "Have my little cousin call me by tomorrow afternoon. If you aren't going to be cooperative, I think I'll go directly to who I really want to talk to. See if I can change his mindset."

Minato stood up as well, fists clenched on the table. "Stay away from my son, Nagato," he bit out threateningly.

The redhead didn't even bat an eyelash. "Uh uh uh, Minato," Nagato warned him mockingly, "There are people watching, and I know you don't want to start a scene in public." He winked, knowing he was right, and turned on his heel to go. "And to you, my name is _Pain_."

**XXX**

Naruto's hands fiddled nervously with his tie as he and Sakura got closer and closer to the table her parents were already sitting at. As they walked, he could just make out one head of pink hair and the other blonde. Naruto swallowed hard, knowing the chances that the couple was anyone else's parents.

Sakura put her hand gently on his shoulder. "Relax, Naruto-kun. My parents will love you," she whispered reassurringly.

Naruto took a deep breath and tried to calm down as they finally reached the table. Sitting down were Sakura's parents, the man the one with pink hair and the woman having blonde. Naruto waited patiently as Sakura introduced him first to her father, Kizashi, who had a serious case of facial hair, and her mother, Mebuki. "Mom, Dad, this is Naruto, the boy I was telling you about."

Kizashi's gentle face instantly turned stern and intimidating. "Ah, you're the 'Naruto-kun' we've been hearing so much about for the last two years."

Naruto swallowed nervously. "I-I guess I am," he stammered. He felt Sakura's hand on the small of his back and forced himself to sit down in one of the chairs across from Sakura's parents.

Mebuki studied him intensely. "You look strangely familiar, Naruto. Where have I seen you before?" she asked.

"Uh, I wouldn't know, Haruno-san," Naruto answered.

Mebuki studied him for a moment longer before a grin burst out on her face. She squealed. "The papers! That's it, the papers! Don't you recognize him, Kizashi-kun," she cooed, tugging gently on the sleeve of her husband's shirt. "He was in all the papers!"

Sakura watched as Naruto's face suddenly reddened at the attention and she gently grasped his hand under the table for reassurance. "Naruto-kun was in a lot of papers with his band, mom. Bowling for Ramen, remember? I told you about them," she reminded her mother.

Kizashi studied Naruto more closely and intensely once Sakura told them that Naruto was basically a rockstar. Never trust a rockstar dating your daughter. But Mebuki waved her daughter's reminder away. "Yes, yes, I remember that. But I didn't mean those papers. I meant the newspapers he was in when he was a child. There was a point when you couldn't read the news without seeing his adorable little face over every front page," she exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, yes, mom. His dad is~"

"Namikaze Minato," Kizashi suddenly interrupted, warm eyes now staring intensely at Naruto. He lifted his hand, pointing is finger at Naruto's face. "I remember now. Mebuki, don't you remember what the papers were saying about Namikaze Naruto?"

His wife turned to him and curiously watched as he stared intensely at the boy her daughter's date. "Ah, not exactly. It was so long ago..." she murmured.

Kizashi sat back, continuing to hold Naruto's eyes. "His face was all over the papers because of the accident that befell Namikaze Naruto and his mother."

Sakura wore an expression that was similar to her mother's as she watched the strange reaction he had to Naruto. "His mother...?" Sakura asked questioningly, looking over at Naruto who had suddenly stiffened beside her.

Kizashi nodded. "Yes, his mother. She was killed in their home one day while Minato was on a business trip, remember honey? There was a big investigation but they never caught the man. And young Namikaze Naruto was kidnapped. A week or so later and the papers said that he was dead." He watched his daughter's expression turn to shock before his eyes darted back to the fearfully-staring Naruto. "Namikaze Naruto died many years ago. So who are you?" he asked, again pointing at Naruto.

Naruto swallowed a hard lump in his throat and met the frightening eyes of his girlfriend's father. "I-It's all a misunderstanding," Naruto stammered, voice cracking. How could Sakura's dad remember all of that from so long ago? No one else recognized him from the papers. "I can explain."

"Explain what? If you thought that you could lie to my daughter about who you really were in order to win brownie points, you obviously didn't count on her father actually knowing the details of that day. Did you think that just because you have blonde hair and blue eyes, you could masquerade as a dead boy? Namikaze Minato has been through enough without some street-thug-rockstar-asshole pretending to be his dead son!" Kizashi shouted at Naruto.

"I-I'm really Naruto, I swear!" Naruto exclaimed, holding up his hands to show Kizashi that he meant no harm. "I can explain everything if you'd just give me the opportunity!"

But Kizashi didn't want to hear it. His head turned to Sakura. "Where did you meet this kid, Sakura? Did you even meet him at your school like you said?"

"Daddy, just listen to him! He's telling the truth," Sakura urged her father, clasping a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You're being brash again without even listening to what Naruto has to say." Naruto looked at Sakura, surprised that she was still standing up for him even though it was clear that even _she_ didn't have all the details.

Kizashi waved his hand at his pink haired daughter in dismissal. He glared at Naruto again. "Punks like you make me absolutely sick. How could you take advantage of a poor man's misfortune just for your own gain? Namikaze-san is too good of a man for that!" Kizashi snapped his arm out to point to the exit. "Get out of my sight, you little rat. And I swear if I hear wind of you trying to manipulate my daughter or Namikaze-san's troubles again, I will find you and break every limb in your body. Get out!"

That was all the warning that Naruto needed. He jumped out of his seat and dejectedly ran out of the restaurant with his arms covering his eyes. He was better off as Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto would never have had to deal with his girlfriend's parents thinking he was a sneaky rat. They might have thought that he was an idiot or not good enough for her, but they might not have hated him as much and so soon into dinner.

He ran out of the restaurant and into the ran, not realizing that he forgot his coat on the back of his chair until he was standing in the rain and trying to figure out how to get back to the school. He wouldn't go back to the function and make his dad wonder what went wrong with meeting Sakura's parents. If his dad heard how Sakura's dad treated him, Minato wouldn't stop until Kizashi was groveling for forgiveness at Naruto's feet. And he didn't want that to be the reason why Sakura's dad liked him, he didn't want Minato to have anything to do with it.

The door to the building behind him opened and light flooded the dark and wet sidewalk around him. In seconds, long, feminine arms were wrapped around his middle and a warm face was pressed against his neck. "I'm so sorry for all of that, Naruto-kun! Come back inside, my dad will be nice this time. He's just overemotional sometimes. Come on, it's raining."

Naruto gently brushed her off and turned to her, forcing a smile. "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. I'm just gonna go back to school. Go enjoy dinner with your parents," he urged her.

Sakura frowned. "How are you going to get home?"

He shrugged. "I can walk. School's only a few blocks from here."

"I'm not letting you walk alone in the rain, Naruto," she said like a mother might. "At least come sit in the lobby until you can call for your dad to give you a ride back."

Naruto looked longingly at the warmth that he knew was inside the restaurant, then down at his wet clothes beginning to cling stickily to his body. And he'd put so much effort into getting ready... He looked away from the doors and down at his girlfriend. "You'll get in trouble for following me out here. Your dad doesn't like me very much," he reminded her.

"He doesn't know you. Not like I do," she said with a smile, leaning up and kissing his nose. "Come on, let's at least sit down on the curb, okay?"

Naruto shrugged and grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling her to sit down on the curb. He pulled her against him and opened his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders. It was wet, but at least it was better than just her dress.

"You know I don't mind if my dad hates you, right? I don't care. I like you," Sakura told him sincerely, snuggling up against his side.

Naruto smiled. "Well, I love you," he told her, leaning his head down and pecking her lips.

Sakura smiled. "Still?"

"Still."

She kissed him back, pulling him down by his tie in order to deepen it. "I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N I know this is uber late, but I didn't have any motivation to write. No reviews=No motivation, so it's a little harder for me to push through and update.**

**Anywho, Comments, Questions, Concerns? REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

******Disclaimer**: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. *sob* I also don't own any songs used.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
**

Sakura was awakened the next morning by her cell phone's annoying ring tone. She'd spent the entire summer begging her parents for one so she could keep in touch with them without having to resort to the ancient art of writing letters or using the payphone in the lobby, but now she was regretting every plea she gave them. Needless to say, she ignored it and pressed herself closer against Naruto's chest and smiled contently when she felt his arms tighten more around her.

Of course, nothing happened last night. It just so happened that after they finally got a cab to take them home, they were both soaked to the bone and Naruto had ushered her into his room since it was closer and she could dry off sooner. She borrowed some of his smallest clothes and they'd both cuddled up on the bed waiting for their clothes to dry while watching a movie. And of course, they'd ended up falling asleep. Not that Sakura was complaining. Naruto's clothes and his arms around her were the most comfortable thing she'd ever experienced.

"That's the second time your phone rang, Sakura-chan. Maybe it's an emergency," Naruto's morning voice rumbled against the back of her neck, sending shockwaves of shivers running down her spine.

"I doubt it. Probably just my parents wanting to yell at me for disappearing last night. It can wait," she assured him without even opening her eyes.

Naruto sighed and his arms pulled away from her and his body shifted to sit up in bed. He stretched over her and grabbed her phone, flipping it open to see that there weren't just two missed calls, but five. They must've slept through the other three. "Only one is from your mom and dad. The rest are from your friends," he said with a yawn, handing her the phone.

Sakura groaned and unhappily snatched the phone from him, focusing on the screen. She frowned when she saw the calls accompanied with about ten messages from her friends. Curiously, she sat up and ran a hand through her hair as she went through her messages.

**Sakura, where are u? do u need a ride back to school? we have room. **-Hinata

**Forehead, everyone's saying u went AWOL after the function. Reply ASAP!** -Ino

**Are u dead?** -Ino

**Oh no, ur dead! Sakura, pick up! **-Ino

**I'm assuming you're with Naruto. Just call when u get a second. Ino's freaking and threatening to call the police. I'll restrain her. -**Tenten

**It's 12am and I'm not staying up much longer. If ur in a ditch somewhere, ur just going to have to sleep there until the morning. **-Ino

**It's morning and there's still no sign of u. We're worried, Sakura. Call soon. **-Tenten

**Oooo I get it! Neji says he was kicked out last night ;) Don't worry, call when Naruto gives you a minute. **-Tenten

**FOREHEAD! Are you losing your virginity while I'm slaving over here worried about u? Ugh, ur so selfish! **-Ino

**P.S Some friend you are! we're supposed to tell each other stuff like this! **-Ino

The further into the messages Sakura got, the more embarrassed she got and the bigger her blush became. She turned to Naruto, narrowing her eyes at him when she discovered him reading the messages over her shoulder. He sported a little blush of his own. She slapped his shoulder. "Stop peeping. When did Neji come in here?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged. "He and the guys came in after we fell asleep. I didn't want to wake you so I told them to find somewhere else to crash for the night."

She instantly felt guilty. "I didn't mean to put them out," she mumbled.

Naruto kissed her cheek. "Don't worry about it. You didn't put them out, I did." He shrugged again and climbed out of bed. "Come on, I'll deliver you to your friends."

Sakura's cheeks burned at the thought of the kind of teasing that would ensue if Naruto walked her back to her room. AND she was wearing his clothes? She would never be able to do damage control on the situation. "Actually Naruto, I can walk back by myself. It's not too far."

Naruto frowned. "I can't let you do that, Sakura-chan. It's no problem, really." He grabbed his shoes and put them on, despite still being in his pajamas.

Sakura put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Trust me, you don't want to be around them when they're like this. I'm saving you. I promise to call you when it's over. We can hang out once I get myself together, okay?"

Naruto shrugged but nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to you later then." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. He would have liked to turn it into a make-out session but Sakura pushed him away by his chest and jumped off the bed before he could get a chance. She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly, grabbed her clothes off the heater, and disappeared out the door.

Naruto groaned and flopped back on his bed, although he ended up smiling up at the ceiling. Despite the evening's poor start, the night was just... amazing. His time with Sakura, even though they were caught in the rain and only ended up watching a movie for the rest of the night, made for the best night of his life.

He tucked his head back under his pillow and had every intention of going back to sleep, but his phone buzzed before he could get an eye closed.

"Dammit," he grumbled, snatching the phone up and flipping it open without looking at the Caller ID. "Hello?"

"Naruto? Are you up?"

"Dad?"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." His dad sighed. "Well, get up and get dressed. I need a favor from you."

Naruto sat up again, fully alert. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I need you to find Nagato this morning. It's important, alright?"

Naruto's mood instantly soured. "Why, what do you need with him?"

"Just do as I ask, alright Naruto?" The line went dead.

Naruto stared down at his phone in confusion. His dad almost never called him just _Naruto_. And he was never that dad-like with him. What was up?

**XXX**

Sakura inhaled deeply before she mustered up the courage to push open the door and face the wrath of her friends. And as soon as she opened it, she regretted it.

"Billboard brow! Look who's back from her walk of shame!" Ino shrieked from her bed, tossing a pillow at her head. Sakura was lucky enough to catch it before it made contact, glaring at her friend.

"Shut up, Ino. You don't even know anything," she muttered, shutting the door behind her.

"We know you're wearing clothes that are about two sizes too big for you. Naruto's?" Tenten guessed from her perch at the desk.

Sakura's cheeks exploded with a tint of red that could rival Hinata's infamous blushes. And that was all her friends needed to explode into fits of laughter.

"Wow forehead, I never would have thought you had it in you," Ino chortled, earning the same pillow to the face that she'd tried to throw at Sakura. It didn't seem to bother her very much. She simply pulled it off and continued with her teasing. "Ms Goody-two-shoes-vice-president spent the night with her rock star!"

"Shut up, Pig!" Sakura shouted, going over to her bed and plopping down face first. "Nothing happened last night."

"What is your definition of 'nothing'?" Hinata asked, joining in on the inquisition.

Sakura rolled over on her back, raising an eyebrow at her. "Et tu, Hinata?" she pouted.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Answer the question."

She sighed. "We didn't have... sex... or anything. We got caught in the rain after dinner with my parents and I spent the night in his room." At the girls' skeptical look, she tossed her arms in the air. "I swear, we fell asleep cuddling and watching a movie! We didn't even kiss until I kissed him goodbye this morning."

Tenten's excited look fell to a disappointed frown. "My boyfriend had to sleep on the floor of his little cousin's room for _cuddling and a movie_?"

Sakura blushed. "It wasn't my fault. Naruto didn't want him to wake me up."

As Hinata 'Aww'ed, Ino continued to glare. "You couldn't pick up your phone? We thought you were dead!"

Sakura shrugged, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I was too comfy to check my phone. Naruto's the one that looked at it this morning."

Ino pretended to gag herself. "It's starting."

Tenten nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, it's started."

"What's started?" Sakura asked.

"The total disregard of your friends in order to focus completely on your significant other. We're just lucky Naruto was able to remove himself enough from your bubble in order to see we were trying to reach you. Otherwise, we'd never see you again," Tenten answered with a sorrowful look, though it was obviously fake.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Shut up. That isn't what's happening."

"Oh yeah? Then what are you doing today? We were thinking we could have a spa day in the room."

The pinkette looked down, rubbing her shoulder. "Actually, I kind of promised Naruto-kun that we could-"

"IT'S STARTED!" Tenten and Ino exclaimed before she could finish.

**XXX**

Hanabi sat glaring at her older cousin while he slept. It was already eleven and the big lug was still curled up in her extra blankets on her floor, drooling on one of her pillows. Neji might be able to fool everyone else that he was prim and proper but the guy slept like a slob.

Scowling, she stood up, drew her foot back, and gave him a harsh kick in the ribs.

That did the trick. Neji jumped out of his sleep, flailing around and looking around for an intruder. When he turned and met Hanabi's smug face, he glared. "Hanabi, what the hell?" he growled, sitting up and running a hand through his tangled black locks.

"Get out," she said simply, crossing her arms.

The older Hyuuga's glare increased. "You couldn't figure out a gentler way to wake me up?" he asked, rubbing his side. "Ow..."

"Get out, Neji," she repeated, raising her foot again. "I have somewhere to be."

Neji scrambled up, grabbing his socks and shoes and hopping around as he hurriedly tried to put them on. "You're violent for a little kid, Hanabi... Ow!" Hanabi'd stepped on his foot. "Where are you going anyway? It's a Saturday and I'm sure you don't have friends," he deadpanned. Around the rest of the family, Neji was coldly formal towards his two younger cousins but when they were alone at school this way, he was strangely more affectionate. Like a big brother. It had only increased since he became a senior, much to Hinata's chagrin since being a big brother meant Neji had a right to harass her Inuzuka boyfriend.

Hanabi raised her chin up high. She couldn't deny the fact that she was a tad bit antisocial, not that it was her fault. She intimidated people. "I'm going to start making friends."

"With who?" Neji's face suddenly darkened and he narrowed his eyes as understanding came across him. "I saw you talking to Uchiha last night. Stay away from him, Hanabi."

The girl gave an innocent look, complete with folding her arms behind her. "Whatever should you mean, Neji-nii-san? Why should I stay away from him?"

"I don't want you trying to make friends with him. He doesn't do 'just friends' with girls. He's eventually broken every heart of every girl he's come into contact with since middle school. Sakura, Ino, even Tenten before she realized he was a jerk."

"What about Hinata-nee-chan?" Hanabi continued, keeping up her innocent charade.

Neji faltered. "Well, no. But she's an exception."

Hanabi shrugged. "Maybe he's not attracted to us Hyuuga girls. Could be the eyes. Or maybe we're immune to his charm." She winked at her cousin and grabbed a jacket, heading to the door.

"Hanabi!" Neji called after her.

"I want you out of my room by the time I come back, Neji-kun," she called sweetly as she slammed the door behind her.

Neji slouched. "Dammit."

**XXX  
**Naruto stood outside the door of the Akatsuki's personal lounge, still wondering why his dad wanted him to see Pain. He tried calling him back a few times but his dad's phone was apparently off because it kept going to voicemail. So, here he was, going in blind. Sighing, he raised his hand to knock on the door but it swung open to reveal none other than Pain on the other side. He was dressed in the school uniform with the Akatsuki blazer, even though it was their day off. And, Naruto noted with pleasure, he still had a bruised eye from their fight.

"I was wondering when you were going to knock and stop standing there like an idiot," Pain said dryly.

Naruto forced his anger not to show on his face. He still didn't know what his dad wanted from Nagato. Maybe it was business related or something, though Naruto couldn't think of how... "My dad wanted me to talk to you."

Pain smirked. "Actually, your dad was pretty adamant last night about not wanting me anywhere near you. I'm glad I was able to change his mind." He stepped aside, making room for Naruto to step in. "Come in."

Naruto walked into the lounge, not being able to help himself from finding interest in the place. Akatsuki hosted killer parties almost everywhere on campus, but they almost never invited anyone into their exclusive lounge. It was a privilege to see it, really.

Pain led Naruto down the front hallway and into a bigger room at the back, furnished with floor to ceiling windows across the back wall, a wide screen television on the left wall, and a black couch facing the TV with a coffee table littered with game systems and controllers in the middle. On the right side of the room were four comfortable armchairs that matched the black couch facing one another in a circle. Pain led him over to that area, plopping down. Naruto plopped down in the seat across from him.

"So... What is it that you...?"

Pain leveled his eyes on him, stopping Naruto in his tracks. Once he was sure the blonde was going to be quiet, Pain continued. "We haven't talked in a long time, Naruto. Why is that?"

Naruto, confused, furrowed his brows in confusion. Was that all that Nagato wanted? To talk about family ties? "We aren't close. Why does it matter?" he asked suspiciously.

Nagato leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving his. "That's strange. Because we were pretty damn close when we were kids. Before Kushina died."

Naruto tensed. "Nagato~"

"Did you know that your mom was my legal guardian, Naruto?" Pain continued, ignoring or pretending to ignore him. "When my parents died, she was all the family I had and she took me in. She didn't want me to be alone."

This was a shocker to Naruto. He never remembered Pain living with them. "I don't remember that."

"Yeah well, you don't remember a lot of things daddy dearest doesn't want you to remember," Pain said, standing up and walking around to the back of his chair. "But I do. Actually, I know a lot of things that Minato doesn't want me to know. It's kind of why I don't live with you anymore. Minato doesn't keep anyone around who knows who he really is."

"Says the guy that won't let anyone call him by his real name."

Pain didn't look like the insult phased him. He shrugged, pulling a box out of his seat and tossing it at Naruto. "It's important to me. Not everyone can go around using it willy-nilly. Unfortunately for your dad, his name is pretty important to him, too."

Naruto opened the box and frowned when he saw what was inside. He lifted out an Akatsuki blazer, frowning. "What's this? Why are you giving it to me?"

Nagato smirked. "Minato's got some secrets that he doesn't want to get out. He especially doesn't want you to know. So in return for daddy's secrets, you're going to do as I say. And my first order is for you to put that jacket on and be my pledge."

Naruto's eyes got wide. "Y-Your pledge? Does that mean..."

"Welcome to Akatsuki, Naruto."

**XXX**

It took Hanabi a while to track down the Uchiha since she really didn't know anything about him, but eventually she found him in the library sitting - of course - by himself near the windows. Without a sound, she moved and plopped down beside him.

Th Uchiha looked up from the book he was reading - something about martial arts - and raised an eyebrow at her. "You again? I thought this game was over," he said dryly.

"The friendship game is never over," she replied with a hint of a smile.

Sasuke's shoulders slumped. "I don't want to be your friend," he muttered, closing his book and walking off.

The smile disappeared. She followed him. "Why not?"

"You're annoying. Just like every other freshman girl in this school."

"You don't _know_ me."

Sasuke stopped, turning to face her. "I know you've efficiently stalked me since you met me. The hall, the Function, and now you miraculously turn up here while I'm reading?"

"I was walking, I'm a Hyuuga, and I can't _read_?"

"You were looking for me. I saw you," Sasuke replied in his monotonous voice. "You came right over."

Hanabi squared her shoulders, trying to make herself look bigger than she felt. Sasuke really knew how to make someone feel small... "You're a familiar face."

"Yeah? Well unfamiliar-ize yourself with it." He turned, walking away again. This time, she let him go, feeling the sharp pang of rejection in her chest. Damn, there goes her first real friend. Well, maybe they weren't friends, but it was the closest thing she had here.

"Yo, Hanabi-chan?" a voice interrupted her.

She sighed, turning around and immediately forcing herself to perk up when she saw who it was. "Konohamaru? You're not supposed to be here yet."

* * *

**A/N sorry it took so long to update. If you wanna know why, you'll have to check my other story because that's a long and depressing tale. And, as you know, I'm a lazy bunny.  
**

**Next chapter, meet Konohamaru! YAY!  
**

**And poor Naruto, being played on all sides here. **

**Anywho, Comments, Questions, Concerns? REVIEW!**


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